


The Thunder God, His Witch and the Assembling Avengers

by StrikeMoonstone9387



Series: The Saga of Magic and Thunder [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alive Phil Coulson, Charmed (1998) Makes an Appearance, Child Harry Potter, F/M, Female Harry Potter, Kid Fic, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:40:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 38,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26958943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrikeMoonstone9387/pseuds/StrikeMoonstone9387
Summary: The Demigod, the reincarnated Goddess, the Super Soldier, the man with breathtaking anger-management issues, a pair of Master Assassins and a billionaire philanthropist in a metal suit. Oh, and a toddler. This is the all-star lineup of Earth’s mightiest heroes assembled to face Loki and save the planet from certain doom.It’s a good thing none of them have plans that weekend.
Relationships: Avengers Team & Original Female Character(s), Harry Potter & Avengers Team, Thor (Marvel)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Saga of Magic and Thunder [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890757
Comments: 3
Kudos: 74





	1. Prologue: The Future

**Prologue: The Future**

_ A helicopter flew low through the night sky above the Mojave Desert. It prepared to make its final descent on the landing pad of the facility that had been erected far amid the sands. _

_ Within the facility compound, vehicles of all kinds were driving over the paved grounds and through the gates in what could only be defined as organized chaos. The guards kept firm grips on their weapons and alert for any sign of danger while the scientists and civilians they were protecting kept similar grips on their possessions. _

“All personnel, the evacuation order has been confirmed.” _ A voice announced over the PA system.  _ “Proceed to your designated vehicles for assisted evacuation.”

_ The guards not in the vehicles quickly and efficiently helped the scientists load the trunks before ushering them and their families into the cars and giving the go ahead to the drivers to leave. _

“This is not a drill.” _ The voice over the PA system continued.  _ “Emergency personnel, proceed to your designated vehicles for off-campus evacuation.”

_ The helicopter that had been circling the facility landed on the large square pad marked by the fluorescent white landing lights. The door opened and two people jumped out, a young woman with dark hair tied in a bun and a tall, black man wearing an eyepatch over one eye. Both of them exuded an aura of danger and cunning, the man more so than the woman. They were joined by another man, this one dressed in an unassuming black suit with dark shades over his eyes. _

_ “How bad is it?” The black man with the eyepatch asked. _

_ “That’s the problem, sir.” The man in the suit replied, removing his shades. “We don’t know.” He led the newest arrivals into the building and to the elevator, pressing the button for his desired floor as the doors closed. All three were silent for the few seconds that the trip took. “Dr. Selvig read an energy surge from the Tesseract four hours ago.” The suited man continued, leading the pair through the lab. _

_ All around them, the scientists continued packing up their equipment with the aid of the guards, working quickly and efficiently. _

_ “NASA didn’t authorize Selvig to go to test phase.” The man with the eyepatch said. _

_ “He wasn’t testing it.” The suited man revealed. “He wasn’t even in the room. Spontaneous event.” _

_ “It just turned itself on?” The woman asked, speaking up for the first time since they arrived. _

_ “Where are the energy levels now?” The dark-skinned man asked. _

_ “Climbing.” The suited man replied. “When Selvig couldn’t shut it down, we ordered evac.” _

_ “How long to get everyone out?” The dark-skinned man asked. _

_ “Campus should be clear in the next half hour.” The suited man replied. _

_ “Do better.” The dark-skinned man ordered. _

_ The suited man nodded and walked away, the dark-skinned man and the woman continuing on through the facility. _

_ “Sir, evacuation may be futile.” The woman pointed out respectfully as they descended the spiral staircase. _

_ “We should tell them to go back to sleep?” The dark-skinned man asked in response, his voice half-sarcastic and half-challenging. _

_ “If we can’t control the Tesseract’s energy, there may not  _ be _ a minimum safe distance.” The woman said, her tone still respectful as she ignored the biting tone that had been aimed at her. _

_ “I need you to make sure the Phase 2 prototypes are shipped out.” The dark-skinned man ordered. _

_ “Sir, is that really a priority right now?” The woman asked incredulously. _

_ The dark-skinned man stopped walking and turned around to look at the woman, making her stop in her tracks as well. “Until such time as the world ends, we will act as though it intends to spin on. Clear out the tech below. Every piece of Phase 2 on a truck and gone.” He ordered. _

_ “Yes, sir.” The woman said quietly, walking off. She passed a pair of guards standing sentry. “With me.” She ordered them. _

_ They followed her as the dark-skinned man turned and continued on his route. “Talk to me, Doctor.” He called as he strode into a massive chamber. _

_ “Director.” An elderly man greeted, stepping away from the large device that held the main focus of the lab. His scientists, the few that remained despite the evacuation order, continued with their work, monitoring the device. _

_ “Is there anything we know for certain?” The dark-skinned man, the Director, asked. _

_ “The Tesseract is misbehaving.” The elderly scientist replied. Another scientist carefully prodded the middle of the device where the glowing bright blue cube resided causing it to spark. _

_ “Is that supposed to be funny?” The Director asked, unamused. _

_ “No, it’s not funny at all.” The scientist said as the Director reached him, and they began walking in step with each other. “The Tesseract is not only active, she’s… behaving.” _

_ “I assume you pulled the plug.” The Director stated. _

_ “She’s an energy source.” The scientist pointed out helplessly. “We turn off the power, she turns it back on. If she reaches peak level-” _

_ “We prepared for this, Doctor.” The Director said, cutting the elderly scientist off. “Harnessing energy from space.” _

_ “But we don’t have the harness.” The scientist said dryly, stepping up to a computer. “My calculations are far from complete. And she’s throwing off interference, radiation. Nothing harmful, low levels of gamma radiation.” _

_ “That can be harmful.” The Director said quietly. “Where’s Agent Barton?” _

_ “The Hawk?” The scientist asked, more focused on the computer screen in front of him. “Up in his nest, as usual.” He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. _

_ The Director stepped away from the scientist, putting a hand to the comm link in his ear. “ _ Agent Barton, report.”  _ Seconds later, a tall, handsome blue-eyed man slid down from a high perch. “I gave you this detail so you can keep a close eye on things.” The Director reprimanded as the agent fell into step with him. _

_ “Well, I see better from a distance.” Agent Barton replied calmly. _

_ “Have you seen anything that might set this thing off?” The Director asked, accepting the strangeness of his agent. _

_ “Doctor, it’s spiking again.” Another scientist called to the elderly scientist that had been speaking with the Director. _

_ “No one’s come or gone.” Agent Barton replied. “And Selvig’s clean. No contacts, no IMs. If there was any tampering sir, it wasn’t at this end.” _

_ “‘At this end’?” The Director repeated. _

_ “Yeah.” Agent Barton said, nodding. “The Cube is a doorway to the other end of space, right?” He asked, gesturing to the gently sparking, glowing Cube in the middle of the device. “Doors open from both sides.” He pointed out with a seemingly nonchalant shrug. _

_ Suddenly, the Cube sparked even more, and a deep rumble shook the facility. The glowing Cube continued sparking, glowing brighter and the energy swirling for a few seconds. It shot out in a concentrated beam and formed a swirling portal several feet away in the same bright blue color as the beam and the Cube. _

_ The portal grew until it was at least a dozen feet in height and equally as large in width. It let out a wave of energy that rippled past the shocked spectators before disappearing along with the portal. The guards pushed past their shock and slowly moved forward, their weapons drawn and aimed at the figure that knelt in the place the portal had been. _

_ The figure raised his head, revealing pale white skin, almost pasty in tone, and light blue eyes filled with cold ruthlessness. He stood up slowly revealing the green, black and gold clothes he was wearing, his hand tightly gripping a spear with a glowing blue gem nestled between the bladed tips. _

_ It was Loki Odinson, the second son of Odin Allfather and the younger Prince of Asgard, the Realm Eternal. _


	2. The Trip

**Chapter 1: The Trip**

_Asgard_

_May 1_ _, 2012_

Laughter filled the air, joyous and free, mixed with the sounds of splashing water and playful shrieks. The joy was broken by a gasp from the red-haired woman sitting at the edge of the lake where she had been watching her beloved and their daughter play.

“Mummy?” The little girl asked worriedly, looking at the young woman through large emerald green eyes. Her elbow-length jet-black hair was plastered against her back, still a perpetual disarray of curls despite being soaking wet and her fair skin sported the beginnings of a healthy tan from all the time she spent outdoors.

“My gazelle eyes?” The man asked, his own worry clearly visible in his striking blue eyes. Like his daughter, his golden hair was dripping wet, plastered against his head and shoulders though the layers were distinctly visible, the stubble beard along his jaw and neck just as wet.

“I saw Loki.” The woman said softly, her moonlit-silver eyes wide with sorrow and shock. Her long red hair was left loose, tumbling down her back and to her thighs in loose ringlets and a distinctive, pale silvery gold crescent moon clearly visible against her fair skin, between her eyebrows. Another curious thing about her appearance was the delicate pointed tip her ears curved into at the top. “It was nighttime, but I can’t be sure if it was a vision of the past, present or future.” She admitted.

“Daddy?” The little girl asked, turning to her father.

To her stunned disbelief, her father had the same look of sorrow and shock on his face that her mother did. Not liking either of the adult’s expressions, she began to cry in fear. The man swiftly lifted the girl into his arms and moved towards the shallow waters of the lake, running his large hand over the fearful child’s back comfortingly.

“It’s okay, darling. Mummy and Daddy will allow no harm to come to you.” He said soothingly. He turned to the woman, his eyes portraying his emotions. “We must inform Father of your vision.”

The woman nodded and gracefully rose to her feet, waving her hand at their scattered belongings. Instantly, the remnants of their picnic lunch were packed away into the basket along with the blanket they had sat and eaten on as were their clothes that they had removed when they decided to go for a swim.

The man grabbed a towel and bundled the little girl into it along with her blanket that was never far from her while the woman grabbed another towel and draped it over his bare shoulders. She then grabbed another towel and wrapped it around her own body, covering her bikini. Picking up the picnic basket and the deceptively small bag that contained their clothes, she stepped back a few paces and unfurled a pair of large, shimmering wings, mostly pure white in color but interspersed with silvery gold feathers. At the same time, the man picked up a hammer and swung it around in a fast circle before thrusting his fist towards the sky and shooting up into the air. The woman followed suit and within minutes, they were flying towards the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf that rose up from the middle of the magnificent city.

Normally, the flight would be passed with a stream of delighted childish laughter and babble but this time, there was nothing of the sort, only silence. The little girl in her father’s arms knew that something was wrong, very wrong for her parents to cut their outing short. It wasn’t the first time her mother had had a vision of the future; she had the gift of Foresight and was always getting them. But this was the first time a vision had caused her to react the way she had. And her father, her father was always so strong and mighty. He had never before displayed such worry the way he had at being told of what the vision was.

Something was going on, and Arianwen Lily Potter did not like it. Not one bit.

~*~

_May 3_ _, 2012_

Lyssa and Thor flew through the dark skies above Earth, thunder crashing and lightning streaking around them. Both were in their battle armor, Thor’s consisting of a sleeveless black top covered with silver plates and blue trousers tucked into detailed, black, knee-high boots. He wore a pair of red wristbands covered with silver arm bracers and had a bright red cape flowing down his back, attached to his shoulders. His long golden hair was open, billowing around his face and shoulders freely. Lyssa’s armor consisted of a long white dress that flowed past her feet with an empire skirt, the bottom embroidered with delicate light gold patterns and the bodice was covered with light gold overlay. The shoulder straps flared outwards about an inch and the sleeves were fitted to her wrists, made from delicate yet strong chainmail*, while on her feet were a pair of 4” white, high-heeled boots coming up to just below her knees*. The front of her long red hair was pinned back, away from her face while the rest was left loose, billowing freely around her shoulders and down her back just as Thor’s was while proudly showing off her pointed ears. Her hair was held in place by a light gold crown that had a white diamond in the center with an additional piece hanging down against her forehead, directly above the crescent moon mark between her eyebrows*.

It had been two days since Lyssa had her vision of Loki and it had taken that long for Odin to amass enough dark energy for the couple to transport to Earth. Without the Bifrost to transport them, they had to rely on other, far more dangerous means. As it was, it had taken a combination of Odin using dark energy to guide the couple while Lyssa apparated herself and Thor off of Asgard.

In the distance, above the mountainous terrain, the SHIELD Quinjet they were heading towards was barely visible as a tiny grey spec against the lightning- and thunder-streaked night sky. Thor and Lyssa exchanged looks, both unfazed by the rumbling thunder, and nodded, angling down towards the jet. They landed on the roof of the craft, both on a knee to maintain their balance while in flight.

“Be careful.” Lyssa said, pitching her voice to be heard over the thunder. “There are four inside with Loki, two piloting while the other two are preparing to counter our arrival.”

Thor nodded silently, rising to his feet with a measure of grace that belied his large frame. Lyssa followed suit with the same graceful movements, both of them easily walking towards the rear hatch of the jet. The hatch opened, he and Lyssa dropping down onto it and landing gracefully in mirrored crouches, the redhead retracting her wings at the same time.

Straightening up, Thor’s gaze went to his brother, who looked at the pair with wide-eyed shock and nervousness. Lyssa on the other hand focused her attention on the man directly in front of her, clad in a suit of metal whom she knew to be worn by Tony Stark, dubbed by the media and public as ‘Iron Man’. He made to move towards them, and Lyssa reacted by thrusting her hand out at him, a silent and wandless spell sending him flying backwards. He crashed into the other man behind him, whom she recognized from the history books as ‘Captain America’.

Thor grabbed Loki, the Trickster staring at Lyssa in complete and utter shock, his eyes on her pointed ears in particular. The golden-haired Thunderer ripped his brother from his restraints as though they were made of paper, gripping him tightly with a glare on his face as he stalked back out of the jet, flying off into the darkness. Lyssa glanced at Iron Man and Captain America, seeing them slowly pull extract themselves from each other and pull themselves up. Satisfied that she hadn’t hurt them in any way, she followed Thor out into the night sky, unfurling her wings as she soared through the darkness.

Lyssa caught up with the brothers just as Thor landed on a mountain, unceremoniously dropping Loki onto the rocky surface. Loki groaned, skidding slightly from the force with which he was dropped, the sound turning to a dry laugh. Lyssa landed beside Thor, retracting her wings as she looked at the prince who had tried to kill her, her friends and thousands of innocent Jotuns the previous year.

“Where is the Tesseract?” Thor asked without preamble.

“I missed you, too.” Loki said through his laughter.

“Do I look to be in a gaming mood?” Thor roared angrily, his grip in Mjølnir tightening.

Lyssa put her hand on his arm, calming him with her touch. “Loki, please.” She said softly. “Tell us where the Tesseract is.”

Loki looked up at her from where he lay on the ground, something in Lyssa’s voice striking a memory. “Gazelle-eyed sister.” He breathed softly, his green eyes filled with sorrow and anguish.

“It’s me, Loki.” Lyssa said through trembling lips, her moonlit silver eyes filled with sorrow. She glowled gently, as though the moon was shining just beneath her skin, enhancing her already ethereal and otherworldly features.

Loki’s expression hardened minutely, all traces of his sorrow and anguish gone. “You should thank me, the both of you.” He said, sitting up and leaning against the mountainside. “With the Bifrost gone, how much dark energy did the Allfather have to muster to conjure you here to your precious Earth?” He looked from Thor to Lyssa. “Or did you have to use your mortal magic in conjunction with the dark energy?”

Before Lyssa could respond, Thor growled. He dropped Mjølnir to the ground and stalked towards Loki, grabbing him and hauling him up to his feet. Thor cupped Loki’s neck, looking at the slightly shorter man with sorrow and grief. “I thought you dead.” Thor said softly.

Loki looked at him, brilliant blue meeting pale blue. “Did you mourn?” Loki asked with a slight sneer.

“We all did.” Thor told him honestly. “Our father-”

Loki held his finger up between them, cutting Thor off. “ _Your_ father.” Loki corrected. He pushed Thor’s hand off of him, shooting the older man a dark glare. “He did tell you both my true parentage, did he not?” Loki asked, walking away from Thor, looking between him and Lyssa.

“You were both raised together.” Lyssa said tearfully, watching Loki as he walked past her. “You both played together. You both fought together. _We all_ did.” She said sadly. “Do you remember none of those years?” She asked, her eyes swimming with unshed tears.

Loki stopped and turned around, looking between Lyssa and Thor. The Trickster’s pale blue eyes glittered under the moonlit sky. “I remember a shadow.” Loki said quietly. “Living in the shade of Thor’s greatness.” He said. His expression became hard and cold. “I remember you both tossing me into an abyss.” He hissed coldly. Lyssa frowned at his words, knowing that the events had not played out in such a way. “I, who was, and should be, king!” He roared.

“So you take the world I love, the world Gazelle-Eyes was reborn into, as a recompense for your imagined slights?” Thor asked angrily. “No.” Thor declared firmly, walking towards his brother. “The Earth is under my protection, Loki.” Thor warned him.

“ _Both_ of ours.” Lyssa corrected firmly.

Loki laughed, looking between the pair. “And you’re doing a marvelous job with that.” He said sarcastically. “The humans slaughter each other in droves while you idly fret.”

“He’s got a point.” Lyssa admitted reluctantly, vividly remembering the time she had witnessed Voldemort’s reign over Wizarding Britain.

“I mean to rule them, as why should I not?” Loki asked passionately.

“You think yourself above them.” Lyssa said quietly, piercing Loki with a penetrating gaze.

“Well, yes.” Loki replied with a shrug, as though it were obvious.

“Then you miss the truth of ruling, brother.” Thor said gently. “A throne would suit you ill.”

Loki growled, pushing past Thor. Above them, Hugin and Munin squawked, flying within earshot of the conversing brothers. They had been ordered by Odin to keep an eye on Thor, Loki and Lyssa, more so the brothers than the redhead.

Loki walked towards the edge of the mountain. “I’ve seen worlds you’ve never known about!” Loki exclaimed. “I have grown, _Odinson_ , in my exile.” Loki said, sneering at Thor who followed him towards the mountain edge. “I have seen the true power of the Tesseract, and when I wield it…”

“Who showed you this power?” Lyssa asked worriedly, inadvertently cutting Loki off.

“Who controls the would-be king?” Thor asked, just as worried.

Loki didn’t notice the concern, only hearing the words he perceived as insults. “I am a king!” He roared.

“Not here!” Thor shouted back, losing his already frayed temper completely. Lyssa sighed, but didn’t intervene, watching as Thor grabbed Loki by the forearms, shaking him. “You give up the Tesseract! You give up this poisonous dream!” Thor shouted desperately; his heart filled with fear for his brother at the uncharacteristic behavior. He breathed heavily, cupping Loki’s face gently. “You come home.” He pleaded.

Loki looked at Thor. For a brief moment, his eyes were green and filled with hope before it faded, being replaced by pale blue, glittering coldly. Loki chuckled lightly. “I don’t have it.” He said quietly, grinning coldly at the despair that crossed Thor’s face, watching as it morphed into anger. Thor summoned Mjølnir to him, gripping the handle tightly. “You both need the cube to bring me home.” Loki said calmly, unfazed by his older brother’s anger. “My gazelle-eyed sister cannot transport us safely through the Cosmos without it and she knows not how to channel dark energy like the Allfather. But I’ve sent it off, I know not where.” He said, shrugging unconcernedly.

Thor raised Mjølnir, pointing it at Loki. “You listen well, brother.” Thor said firmly.

Before he could continue, a flying figure clad in red and gold metal plowed into him. Thor grunted as he was forcibly taken off the mountain, Lyssa wincing sympathetically.

“I’m listening.” Loki said dryly.

“Loki.” Lyssa said exasperatedly, joining him at the edge of the mountain. She sat down, her legs dangling off the side

Loki turned and settled down beside her, sprawling on his side and watching as Thor and his attacker, none other than Iron Man, landed in the forest down below. Thor rose to his feet with a groan, glaring at Iron Man who raised his visor, revealing his sharp, aristocratic and handsome features.

“Do not touch me again.” Thor growled, glaring at the human.

“Then don’t take my stuff.” Iron Man retorted.

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” Thor warned him.

“Uh, Shakespeare in the park?” Iron Man asked sarcastically, glancing around at their woodland surroundings. “Doth Mother know you wear-eth her drapes?” He asked dramatically.

Lyssa let out a short burst of laughter, the musical sound echoing off the mountain. Beside her, Loki snickered as well, both of them earning a dark glare from Thor. Lyssa just grinned at him, giggling under her breath.

Thor rolled his eyes, turning back to Iron Man. “This is beyond you, metal man.” The fair-haired prince warned him. “Loki will face Asgardian justice.”

Both Lyssa and Loki became serious, watching and listening to the interaction down below.

“He gives up the Cube, he’s all yours.” Iron Man said firmly. “Until then,” his visor slipped back into place over his face. “Stay out of the way.” Thor took a breath, struggling to remain calm. “Tourist.” Iron Man muttered.

Thor growled and hurled Mjølnir at Iron Man. The human grunted as he was thrown back several feet, crashing through a few trees before landing on the ground on his back. Thor stalked towards him, swinging Mjølnir by the wrist-strap around his middle finger. Iron Man fired a burst of energy at Thor, the unexpected blow sending him flying backwards. He managed to regain his footing but before he could retaliate, Iron Man kicked him in the chest, sending him flying through the tree.

“This is becoming quite interesting.” Loki commented with a grin, watching as Thor lost his grip on Mjølnir. Thor managed to regain his balance and land on one knee, glaring up at Iron Man.

“I’m so pleased you find this amusing.” Lyssa snapped, wringing her fingers in worry. She knew what Iron Man was capable of, having seen the news footage of his debut fight against Obadiah Stane. She also knew that Thor _didn’t_ know what the armored man was capable of, thinking him to be an ordinary mortal. Her eyes widened in alarm as Thor summoned Mjølnir to him and thrust it into the air, calling down a surge of thunder and lightning. “Oh, no, no, no, no, no.” Lyssa said frantically, knowing what Thor was about to do. “Bad idea! Bad idea!” She cried.

Thor didn’t seem to hear her, directing the electrical current at Iron Man. The human grunted as he was hit with the full blast, groaning at the force of the current. Thor canceled the stream and lowered Mjølnir, his eyes widening in shock at finding Iron man still standing.

“Honey, you just gave him a power boost!” Lyssa cried exasperatedly, wringing her hands nervously.

Sure enough, when Iron Man fired another pulse at Thor, it sent the prince flying backwards several feet, the charge much more powerful than the previous one. He managed to land on his feet, though it took a second to shake off the effects of the attack. Thor aimed Mjølnir at Iron Man, who was charging towards him, and grunted when the human grabbed him and lifted him into the air. They flew through the treetops, crashing into the mountainside.

Lyssa winced as the pair traded blow for blow, each pressing the other against the mountain rock as they flew upwards against the side.

“So, how long have you known?” Loki asked conversationally, drawing the redhead’s attention. She looked at him, her head cocked to the side in confusion. “About…” He trailed off, gesturing towards her pointed ears and lightly glowing figure in explanation.

“A few months.” Lyssa replied honestly. “Not long after we lost you, or thought we did rather, I began noticing the physical changes as well as the increase in my magic.”

“Do you remember?” He asked curiously.

“Not everything. Bits and pieces, really.” Lyssa replied honestly. “It’s mostly feelings and sensations, but I was told that it’s normal. That it happened like that each time.”

“It did.” Loki confirmed, nodding.

Thor and Iron Man flew back into the woods, crashing through the trees and creating a wide clearing that they landed in. They continued trading blow for blow, the sky occasionally lighting up whenever Iron Man used his weapons, Thor having learned that his powers only gave his opponent a boost.

Lyssa winced sympathetically, seeing Thor receive a punch to the jaw. “You stay here.” She told Loki firmly, getting to her feet. She waved her hand at him, conjuring ropes and tying him in place, earning an exasperated look from the Trickster. “Don’t give me that look.” She said, stepping away from him. She unfurled her wings and launched herself off the mountain side, flying towards the clearing where Thor and Iron Man were fighting.

“Hey!” Captain America called, sending his shield flying between Thor and Iron Man. He successfully managed to stop their fight and drew their attention to him, standing on an overturned tree trunk several feet above them.

“That’s enough.” Lyssa said firmly, using the same voice she used on Aria when wanting the toddler to obey immediately. Lyssa gracefully landed a few feet away from Thor, her unfurled wings fluttering gently behind her and glowing lightly under the moonlight just as she did.

Captain America returned his shield to the straps on his arm before leaping off the trunk, landing with a quiet thud between Lyssa and Iron Man. “Now, I don’t know what either of you plan on doing here.” Captain America admitted, looking between Lyssa and Thor. To his credit, he didn’t seem particularly fazed by Lyssa’s wings, glowing skin or pointed ears, though it could, in all fairness, be that he was quite good at hiding it.

“We have come here to put an end to Loki’s schemes.” Thor declared strongly.

“And take him home.” Lyssa added.

“Then prove it.” Captain America challenged, looking at Thor in particular. “Put that hammer down.”

“Uh, yeah… No.” Iron Man said. “Bad call. He loves his hammer.”

Thor backhanded him with Mjølnir, sending him flying backwards several feet. “You want me to put the hammer down?” Thor roared as Iron Man landed several feet away with a groan.

“Thor!” Lyssa cried exasperatedly. She hurried to Iron Man, helping the man sit up while Thor launched himself at Captain America, Mjølnir raised high. Seeing Thor’s action out of the corner of her eye and Captain America raising his shield protectively, she whipped around frantically. “No, Thor!” She cried.

She was too late. Mjølnir struck the shield and created a powerful shockwave that rippled through the forest. It leveled the surrounding area for hundreds of yards and sent all four of them flying backwards.

“Gazelle Eyes!” Thor shouted frantically through the slowly clearing dust cloud.

Lyssa sat up, coughing slightly. “I’m here!” She called. “Blimey, that hurt.” She muttered with a groan. Thor ran to her, helping her to her feet and checking her over for injuries. She glared up at him, whacking him in the arm. “You idiot!” She exclaimed angrily, the feathers on her wings ruffling behind her. “How many times do I have to tell you not to go around whacking Mjølnir without knowing what it is you’re striking?!” She asked furiously. “Uru and Vibranium are two very powerful metals and that is without taking into account the magic fused into Mjølnir.” She told him firmly. She became thoughtful, looking between the Captain’s shield and Mjølnir. “Although…” she said slowly, trailing off.

“No.” Thor said adamantly. “You only just said it was a dangerous thing to do!” He exclaimed exasperatedly.

“In an uncontrolled environment, yes, it is very dangerous.” Lyssa agreed.

Captain America exchanged looks with Iron Man, whose visor was lifted up to reveal his face. Both were on their feet and groaning from the backlash of the shockwave.

“Do you know what they’re talking about?” Captain America asked in confusion.

“I’m pretty sure she’s trying to convince him that experimenting with his hammer and your shield would be a good thing.” Iron Man replied. “And I think she might be onto something with her idea.” He admitted thoughtfully.

Captain America looked incredulous, his gaze going from the still conversing couple to the leveled forest around them to the billionaire genius beside him. “Are you nuts?!” Captain America asked incredulously, his voice becoming an octave higher. “After what just happened, that’s never gonna happen!” He cried adamantly. His voice drew Lyssa and Thor’s attention, both halting their conversation to look at him. “Now are we done here?” Captain America asked, rubbing his side and wincing.

Thor and Lyssa exchanged looks and turned back to him. They both nodded, deciding to join forces with the humans to put a stop to Loki’s schemes. They both knew they were going to need help, especially because of what Lyssa had seen the previous day, about Loki’s army.

_Links:_

_*Lyssa’s battle suit (pale silvery gold accents; crescent moon on the chest) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879488029924/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879488029924/)

_*Lyssa shoes (white) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879481165331/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879481165331/)

_*Lyssa’s hairstyle and crown -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/808325833095381757/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/808325833095381757/)


	3. The Briefing

**Chapter 2: The Briefing**

Lyssa sat at the round table on the bridge aboard the SHIELD Helicarrier that doubled as the briefing room/ communications hub, Thor standing beside her with a pensive expression on his face. Also seated around the table were Captain America, known as Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, known as the Hulk, and Natasha Romanoff, known as the Black Widow. While Steve and Natasha were still in their combat suits, though the Captain had his cowl pulled down, and Bruce was in casual civilian attire, Thor had removed his cape, the larger parts of his arm bracers and portions of his chest plate as they were in a relaxed setting. Similarly, Lyssa had changed out of her battle dress into a pretty, light green dress with thick, detailed shoulder straps. It had a light drape pinned to the back of the straps and the bodice was embroidered with light gold patterns* and on her feet were a pair of matching, light green high heeled sandals*. Her long hair was open, hanging freely down her back in their natural ringlets and she was no longer shining as she previously had been but still had the otherworldly glow to her features just as Thor did.

All of them had their attention on the CCTV feed of the containment room where Loki had been taken. The SHIELD Director, whom Lyssa knew from previous meetings during the war with Voldemort as Nicholas Fury, entered the room and stepped up to the containment cage’s control console .  _ “In case it’s unclear,”  _ Fury said, his voice echoing around the room while Loki looked on with an unamused and disinterested expression on his face.  _ “You try to escape, you so much as scratch that glass,”  _ Fury pressed a button on the console, causing the floor beneath the cage to open and reveal the open air beneath them. The wind whipped around the room, blowing through the folds of Fury’s black coat as Loki looked down into the empty blackness below him.  _ “It’s 30, 000 feet straight down in a steel trap. You get how that works?”  _ Fury didn’t wait for a response as he pressed another button on the console and sealed the hole closed once again. Gesturing to Loki, he said,  _ “ant,”  _ before gesturing to the control console and saying,  _ “boot.” _

Loki chuckled lightly, once again looking completely unconcerned.  _ “It’s an impressive cage.”  _ He agreed, his chuckles fading though a wide smirk remained on his face.  _ “Not built, I think, for me.” _

_ “Built for something a lot stronger than you.”  _ Fury said.

_ “Oh, I’ve heard.”  _ Loki said with a smirk, turning to look directly at the camera mounted on the ceiling of the room. His pale blue eyes glittered coldly.  _ “A mindless beast. Makes play he’s still a man.” _ Bruce glanced up from the screen, grimacing slightly. He crossed his arms over the back of the chair he was standing behind.  _ “How desperate are you, that you call on such lost creatures to defend you?”  _ Loki asked almost mockingly.

_ “How desperate am I?”  _ Fury repeated, taking the question seriously and seemingly unfazed by Loki’s mocking tone. Fury stepped closer to the cage.  _ “You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can’t hope to control. You talk about peace and then you kill because it’s fun. You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did.” _

_ “Ooh.”  _ Loki said, a smirk forming across his face.  _ “It burns you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what?”  _ He laughed lightly.  _ “A warm light for all mankind to share. And then to be reminded what real power is.” _

_ “Well let me know if ‘real power’ wants a magazine or something.”  _ Fury said dismissively, walking away from the cage before leaving the room entirely.

“He really grows on you, doesn’t he?” Bruce remarked, folding his arms over his chest.

“Loki’s gonna drag this out.” Steve said heavily. “So, Thor, Lyssa, what’s his play?” He asked, turning to the couple.

“He has an army called the Chitauri.” Thor said pensively. “They are not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth, in return, I suspect, for the Tesseract.”

“An army… from outer space.” Steve summarized disbelievingly.

“You’ve met witches and wizards in your past.” Lyssa pointed out. She was referring to the 1940’s, during World War 2 that raged alongside the Wizarding World’s war against Grindelwald. Captain Rogers and his Commandos had used Hogwarts Castle as a base while they were in Europe, aiding and aided by the Order of the Phoenix members and Aurors from the British Ministry of Magic in the dual war against Hitler and Grindelwald.

“Somehow, that was easier to accept.” Steve admitted honestly. “Still took a while, though.” He added as an afterthought.

“So, he’s building another portal.” Bruce said thoughtfully, a small frown marring his face. “That’s what he needs Erik Selvig for.”

“Selvig?” Lyssa and Thor repeated in unison. While Thor looked across the table at Bruce in confusion, Lyssa had an expression of concern.

“He’s an astrophysicist.” Bruce explained, misunderstanding their expressions.

“He’s a friend.” Thor said softly.

“He’s family.” Lyssa added quietly, a frown forming on her fair features. Thor put his hand on her shoulder, comforting her silently. She responded by covering it with her own smaller one, squeezing his fingers tightly.

“Loki has him under some kind of spell. Along with one of ours.” Natasha said, folding her arms on the table and looking across at the Thunder God and his witch.

“Truthfully, I’m curious to why Loki let himself be taken into custody.” Lyssa said. “While we were in the forest, he could have easily broken through my Binding Spell and escaped, but he remained.”

“Lyssa’s right.” Steve agreed. “He’s not leading an army from here.”

“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki.” Bruce commented.  “ That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats. You could smell crazy on him.”

“Have care how you speak.” Thor warned, turning to face Bruce without losing his grip on Lyssa’s shoulder or dislodging their hands. “Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother.”

“And my best friend.” Lyssa added.

“He killed 80 people in two days.” Natasha said bluntly.

“He’s adopted.” Thor offered sheepishly.

“Last year was the first time I saw him in 25 years.” Lyssa said, just as sheepish as Thor.

“I think it’s about the mechanics.” Bruce said thoughtfully. “Iridium. What do they need the Iridium for?”

“It’s a stabilizing agent.” Iron Man, known as Anthony Stark, said, walking onto the bridge with Coulson and drawing the group’s attention. Tony had changed into civilian clothes, a bespoke black suit with a navy-blue dress shirt and a midnight blue tie. He turned to Coulson, lowering his voice slightly as he said, “I’m just saying, pick a weekend. I’ll fly you to Portland. Keep love alive.” Coulson nodded, shooting him a tight smile before moving off to the side, checking on some of the agents that were huddled in front of their computers. “It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD.” Tony continued. He walked past Thor, patting the larger man lightly on the arm. “No hard feelings, Point Break. You’ve got a mean swing.” Tony said flippantly. Thor looked at him with a raised eyebrow, unsure of how to react to the eccentric genius. Tony paid no attention to the incredulous looks he was being given, turning his attention to Lyssa. “Lady Lyssa.” He said, his voice dripping with charm. He held his hand out to her and when she took it with her own free one, he pressed a chaste kiss to the back of her palm.

“Mr. Stark.” Lyssa responded regally, nodding her head at him as he let go of her hand. “I apologize for our meeting on the Quinjet, I didn’t mean to blast you so hard.” She said formally, her voice filled with sincerity.

“Like I said, no hard feelings.” Tony said, smiling at her. “Good to see you again, by the way.” He added.

“You as well.” Lyssa replied, smiling. The first, and last, time they had met had been at a Halloween party in 2008, just after Aria had been born. Tony had immediately begun flirting with her but after she turned down his advances, and broke his nose when he persisted, they had begun talking while she bandaged his injury. The conversation lasted well into early hours of the next morning before they parted ways. “Anyway, back on topic, Loki having a stabilizing agent means that he can keep the portal open as wide and for as long as he wishes.” Lyssa said, her expression becoming pensive and worried.

Tony nodded in agreement striding around the bridge. He stopped in the aisle between two rows of computer consoles, looking at one of the agents. “Ah, raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails.” Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him oddly for the strange and unexpected comment. Seeing the looks he was receiving, he pointed at the agent he had been talking to, proclaiming loudly, “That man is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn’t notice, but we did.” Steve exchanged confused looks with Bruce, both men wondering what Tony was up to while the genius himself covered one eye and looked at the computer screens closest to him. “How does Fury even see these?” He asked randomly.

“He turns.” Agent Hill said dryly, her arms crossed over her chest and a decidedly unimpressed expression on her face.

“Sounds exhausting.” Tony commented, lowering his hand. He turned to one of the computer consoles, fiddling with the screen. “The rest of the raw materials Agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high-energy density.” He turned back to the group around the table. “Something to kick-start the Cube.”

“When did you become an expert in thermonuclear astrophysics?” Agent Hill asked with a scoff.

“Last night.” Tony said, grinning cheerfully. “The packet, Selvig’s notes, the extraction theory papers. Am I the only one who did the reading?”

“Does Loki need any particular kind of power source?” Steve asked, drawing everyone back to the immediate topic at hand.

“He’d have to heat the Cube to 120-million Kelvin just to break through the Coulomb barrier.” Bruce said, pacing behind his chair.

“Unless Erik has figured out a way to stabilize the quantum tunneling effect.” Lyssa countered.

“Well, if he could do that, he could achieve heavy ion fusion at any reactor on the planet.” Bruce remarked, stopping his pacing to look between Lyssa and Tony.

“Finally, someone else who speaks English.” Tony said, grinning at Bruce.

“Is that what just happened?” Steve asked, completely confused.

“It’s good to meet you, Dr. Banner.” Tony said cheerfully, stepping towards the other scientist and shaking his hand. “Your work on anti-electron collisions is unparalleled. And I’m a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage-monster.”

“…Thanks.” Bruce said slowly, unsure of what to make of the eccentric genius.

“Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube.” Fury said, walking into the room and joining them at the table, standing behind one of the chairs. “I was hoping you and Lady Lyssa might join him.” He said, looking between Tony and Lyssa.

Lyssa exchanged a look with Thor, receiving a small, imperceptible nod from him. “Of course.” She said, nodding.

Tony nodded his own agreement, turning to face Fury. Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud ‘CRACK!’. Immediately, everyone went on alert, weapons drawn and aimed at the tiny figure that appeared between the briefing and communications areas of the bridge. The figure, a little girl no older than 3 years of age, raised her head and looked around, seemingly unconcerned by all the weapons aimed at her and everyone’s shocked expressions. She was dressed in a pretty, light blue dress that reached her knees, the short, puffed sleeves made of a sheer, lighter blue fabric along with the wrap above the skirt. Her jet black hair was tied up in a high pony, a loose tendril framing either side of her face while a silver tiara encrusted with white and light blue gems glittered atop her head. In addition, she had a pair of light blue diamond studs in her ears and she wore matching flats on her tiny feet*. Her tiny hand was fisted around a beautifully made blanket that trailed down to the floor behind her.

However, none were more shocked than Lyssa and Thor, who’s jaws had dropped at seeing the little girl. Second to their shock was Coulson, who recognized the little girl from the previous year.

“Aria?!” Thor and Lyssa both exclaimed in shocked unison.

“Mummy!” The little girl, Aria, exclaimed delightedly, launching herself at a stunned Lyssa, not losing the grip she had on her blanket. The force of her crashing into the older woman sent both of them tumbling to the floor, Lyssa landing on her back with Aria on her chest and grinning brightly. Aria looked up at Thor, holding her arms out to him. “Daddy!” She exclaimed happily.

The shock felt by everyone present at Aria’s sudden and unexpected arrival morphed to stunned surprise at the declaration of who her parents were. The only one who wasn’t shocked was Coulson, who had seen the connection that formed between Aria and Thor the previous year, even though he had only seen them together for a few minutes at most.

“B-B-But what are you doing here?” Thor asked, automatically lifting Aria up and perching her on his hip, holding her in place with one arm and adjusting her blanket so it wasn’t hanging freely. He held his other hand out to Lyssa, helping her back to her feet. “More importantly, how did you arrive here?” He asked with a frown.

“She apparated.” Lyssa said in shock. “She apparated  _ between _ the Realms.” She breathed, staring at their brightly smiling daughter with wide eyes.

Thor looked just as shocked. It had taken a combination of dark energy and Lyssa’s magic for the two of them to be transported to Earth safely. Yet, here was their daughter, only 33 months old, not even 3 years of age, apparating between the Realms with no negative side effects.

“I certainly hope Heimdall has seen this and informed Mother.” Thor said.

Lyssa nodded in agreement; the Queen was the designated babysitter in their absence. Suddenly, Lyssa’s eyes widened in alarm, drawing her wand and quickly waving it in precise motions over Aria, examining her closely. For several seconds, Lyssa muttered under her breath, her movements almost frantic despite their preciseness.

Finally, she lowered her wand, breathing a sigh of relief as her shoulders eased from their previously tense postures.

“Is she well?” Thor asked worriedly, despite the visible relief on Lyssa’s face.

“Yes, thank the Norns.” She replied, cupping Aria’s cherubic cheek lightly.

“What happened? What were you worried about?” Coulson asked worriedly.

Lyssa looked at him. “Splinching.” She replied. Thor winced, running his own eyes over a happily babbling Aria who was playing with his long hair. “It’s when a witch or wizard is unsuccessful with their disapparation, leaving either body parts or clothes behind at the point of origin.” Lyssa explained, seeing the confused expressions aimed at her by everyone in the room. “The degree of splinching can range from minimal, like loss of hair, to life-threatening, like loss of flesh or muscle. I remember an old schoolmate, in my brother’s year, who had managed to splinch his dick off.” She commented casually. The confused expressions of her audience rapidly changed to horror as she spoke. “He had been aiming to get back to the Great Hall from the Black Lake and left it behind. It was eaten by the Giant Squid.” She added in remembrance. She noticed the looks she was being given and waved her hand dismissively. “Don't worry. The teachers were able to get the Squid to regurgitate it and then reattach it.” Lyssa said calmly, as though it wasn’t a big deal.

The story was not only said calmly, as though it was no big deal, but also in a very matter-of-fact tone. It was the tone in particular that had the men who were listening, with utter horror, all wincing sympathetically while discretely crossing their legs protectively. The women on the other hand, who had initially been horrified found the men’s reactions to be amusing, particularly at the matter-of-fact tone Lyssa used, and began snickering under their breaths.

“I can ask a medic to have a look at her as well.” Fury offered, his chocolate colored skin slightly ashy in tone.

Thor and Lyssa exchanged looks before turning to him. “We would be most grateful.” Thor accepted graciously. Though Lyssa had run a medical scan on Aria with magic, nothing beat the use of actual equipment being used or a certified professional double checking. For all that Lyssa was trained in the medical arts, she was still a field medic and not a certified healer.

“Back on topic, I’d start with that stick of Loki’s.” Steve said, drawing everyone back on track. His voice was slightly high-pitched and there was a green tinge to his fair skin. The latter was shared by many of the men in the room, those that didn’t were instead sporting ashy tones to their skin much like Fury was. “It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon.”

“I don’t know that, but it is powered by the Cube.” Fury said. “And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys.”

“Monkey!” Aria repeated cheerfully, looking up from where she was sitting on Thor’s shoulders, playing with her blanket that was draped around her tiny form.

“Yes, spider-monkey.” Lyssa said, nodding.

“Monkeys?” Thor repeated in confusion. “I do not understand.”

“I do!” Steve exclaimed excitedly, turning everyone’s attention to him. Seeing the raised eyebrows he was receiving, his smile faded slightly as he added, “I-I understood that reference.”

Tony looked between Lyssa and Bruce. “Shall we play, Doctors?” Tony asked them.

“This way, sir, ma’am.” Bruce said, gesturing to the doorway behind him.

Lyssa got to her feet, turning to Thor and Aria. “Daddy’s going to take you to be looked at by a healer, okay?” Lyssa told Aria gently, looking up at the toddler perched happily on her father’s broad shoulders. “We need to make sure you are well from your little trip.”

“Otay.” Aria replied with a toothy grin.

“I love you.” Lyssa said, pressing a kiss to Aria’s hand.

“I lovey.” Aria replied, blowing a kiss to her.

Lyssa smiled and turned to Thor, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips before they pulled apart. She turned and followed after Tony and Bruce while Coulson led Thor and Aria to the med-bay.

~*~

In Bruce’s designated lab, Lyssa worked with the two scientists to locate the Tesseract with Loki’s scepter. Steve’s suggestion had merit and as they didn’t have any other ideas on where to begin, they decided to give it a shot, not seeing the harm in doing so. Tony had changed out of his suit and was wearing a well-worn Black Sabbath shirt with equally well-worn jeans that had faded to dark grey and black shoes.

“The Gamma readings are definitely consistent with Selvig’s reports of the Tesseract.” Bruce said, running the scanner over the scepter and looking at the screen displaying the readouts.

“It’ll take weeks to process all of this data.” Lyssa said with a frown, looking at the screen as well.

“If we bypass their mainframe and direct route to the Homer cluster, we can clock this at around 600 teraflops.” Tony said, not looking away from the screen he was working at.

“And all I packed was a toothbrush.” Bruce said, laughing dryly.

“I didn’t even pack that much.” Lyssa commented.

“You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime.” Tony said, looking between Lyssa and Bruce. He stepped away from the table he was working at and crossed the lab towards Bruce and Lyssa. “Both of you. Top ten floors, all R&D.” He discreetly picked up a small rod from a nearby desk and stepped up beside the bespectacled scientist. “You’d love it.” Tony looked at Lyssa. “I think your daughter might like it, too. It’s Candy Land.”

“I’ll think about it.” Lyssa replied. “Once we’ve stopped Loki, Thor and I are planning on returning to Asgard with him. There is much that needs to be done; the Realms are in chaos because of Bifrost’s destruction last year.”

Tony nodded in understanding.

“Thanks, but the last time I was in New York, I… kind of broke… Harlem.” Bruce said quietly, his tone filled with guilt and depreciation.

“Well, I promise a stress-free environment.” Tony said before Lyssa could respond to Bruce’s self-hatred and depreciation. “No tension, no surprises.” The moment the last syllable fell from his lips, he poked Bruce in the side with the prod, releasing a mild electrical charge that shocked the bespectacled man.

“Ow!” Bruce cried, jumping slightly from the charge and looking at Tony in surprise and stunned disbelief.

Tony peered at him closely, looking for any sign of the Hulk emerging.

“Hey!” Steve called irritatedly from down the hall, changing his course and heading towards the lab.

“Nothing?” Tony asked curiously, ignoring the Captain’s cry.

Lyssa frowned, looking at Tony thoughtfully. She had the sneaking suspicion that his actions weren’t done on a whim, but to ensure that Bruce was truly no threat, that he wouldn’t change forms at the slightest unexpected event.

“Are you nuts?” Steve asked, stalking into the lab and glaring at Tony fiercely.

“Jury’s out.” Tony replied absently, glancing at him. He turned back to Bruce. “You really have got a lid on it, haven’t you?” Tony observed. “What’s your secret? Mellow jazz, bongo drums, huge bag of weed?”

“Is everything a joke to you?” Steve demanded.

“Funny things are.” Tony quipped, turning to the Super Soldier.

“Threatening everyone’s safety on this ship isn’t funny.” Steve said, struggling to reign his anger and frustration in. “Especially not when we now have a toddler on board.”

Tony clenched his jaw at the implication that he would endanger a child. For all his recklessness and idiocy, never had he ever done anything to harm a child. At least, not knowingly; he was still haunted by the hopeless and fear-filled expressions on the faces of the children in Gulmira, when he had been faced with the full scope of what his weapons had been used for without his knowledge.

Tony forcibly had to remind himself that Steve didn’t know anything about him, not really. All he knew was what was in his SHIELD dossier, which only just skimmed over the nightmares he experienced on a regular basis, nightmares that revealed the full extent of his failures and drove him to try and do what he could to make up for his mistakes. No, all Steve knew was that Tony was a playboy with daddy issues who didn’t play well with others.

“Don’t bring Aria into your little pissing contest.” Lyssa warned firmly, looking up from the screen she was working at. She had turned back to it while Tony probed Bruce, testing his limits, and leaving the billionaire to it.

“Sorry.” Steve said apologetically, realising that he was treading dangerous ground by bringing Aria up in front of her mother. Especially since he was implying that she was in danger. “And no offence, Doc.” Steve added to Bruce, the scientist’s eyes lowered and his shoulders hunched.

“It-It’s all right.” Bruce said, smiling reassuringly. “I wouldn’t have come aboard if I couldn’t handle pointy things.”

“You’re tiptoeing, big man.” Tony said flippantly, pointing at Steve briefly with the electrical prod. “You need to strut.”

“You need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark.” Steve said, trying to connect the man he was seeing in front of him as Howard’s son.

“You think I’m not?” Tony challenged, looking between Steve, Lyssa and Bruce. “Why did Fury call us in? Why  _ now _ ? Why not before?” Tony asked. “I get why Lyssa wasn’t called in seeing as she wasn’t even on Earth, but what about the rest of us? What isn’t he telling us?”

“You can’t solve the equation unless you have all the variables.” Lyssa remarked. “It’s the first thing we’re taught in school. Even in the magical world.” She added as she hadn’t gone to traditional muggle school until after graduating Hogwarts.

“Exactly.” Tony said, nodding, picking up a packet of blueberries.

“You think Fury’s hiding something?” Steve asked with a frown, looking between Tony and Lyssa.

“Look, I may not have been on Earth for nearly a year, but I know spies.” Lyssa said with a sigh, turning her attention to Steve completely. “I’ve  _ been _ a spy, actually, for a time.” She admitted softly. “I also know Nicholas Fury and he isn’t just any spy; he’s  _ the _ spy, the spy of all spies. His secrets have secrets that have secrets of their own.”

Tony gestured wildly in Bruce’s general direction. “It’s bugging him too, isn’t it?” Tony asked around a mouthful of blueberries.

“Uh…” Bruce said, looking between Tony and Steve uncertainly before turning back to the screen and avoiding their gaze. “I just want to finish my work here, and…”

“Doctor?” Steve asked pointedly, not accepting the vague response.

Bruce sighed. He glanced at Tony before looking at Steve, removing his glasses. “‘A warm light for all mankind.’” Bruce quoted. “Loki’s jab at Fury about the Cube.”

“I heard it.” Steve said, nodding.

“Well, I think that was meant for you.” Bruce said, pointing at Tony. Tony didn’t seem fazed, calmly holding out the packet of blueberries to Bruce. “Even if Barton didn’t tell Loki about the tower, it’s still all over the news.” Bruce explained in a gentle tone, accepting a handful of berries and popping one in his mouth.

“The Stark Tower?” Steve asked, his eyebrows raised incredulously. “That big, ugly…” Tony looked at the Captain, an eyebrow raised at the description of his home. “Building in New York?” Steve continued, opting to plow on ahead rather than backtrack.

“It’s powered by an arc-reactor.” Bruce explained. “A self-sustaining energy source.”

“That would mean the tower would power itself for at least a year.” Lyssa said, her eyes wide in amazement at the achievement. As far as she had been aware, up until a year earlier, only the magical world had self-sustaining and clean energy sources on Earth, powered by their own magic and that of the land around them. Asgard and the other Realms also had such sources, the power drawn from various elements around them like dying stars and newly born stars.

“It’s just a prototype.” Tony said, nodding. “I’m kinda the only name in clean energy right now.” Tony explained to Steve. “That’s what he’s getting at.”

“At least in the Muggle World.” Lyssa pointed out.

“Fair point.” Tony agreed, nodding.

“So, why didn’t SHIELD bring him in on the Tesseract project?” Bruce asked Steve challengingly. “What are they doing in the energy business in the first place?” Bruce asked.

“Somehow, I don’t think it has anything to do with  _ clean _ energy, but energy itself.” Lyssa said pensively.

“I should probably look into that once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of SHIELD’s secure files.” Tony said nonchalantly, waking around the table. He had his Starkphone out and was looking at the screen, checking the progress of the decryption.

“I’m sorry. Did you say…?” Steve began staring at Tony, stunned. The blatant display of misconduct was a complete shock to the military man.

“JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge.” Tony confirmed, turning to look at Steve and pocketing the phone at the same time. “In a few hours, I’ll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide.” He held out the packet of blueberries to the Captain, asking, “Blueberry?”

“And yet, you’re confused about why they didn’t want you around.” Steve said snidely, ignoring the offered fruit.

“That’s rude.” Lyssa muttered, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“An intelligence organization that fears intelligence?” Tony asked challengingly. “Historically, not awesome.”

“I think Loki’s trying to wind us up.” Steve said, unwilling to believe that his commander could have less than honorable intentions. “This is a man who means to start a war and if we don’t stay focused, he’ll succeed.” He looked between Tony, Lyssa and Bruce. “We have orders. We should follow them.”

“Following’s not really my style.” Tony said flippantly, putting a handful of blueberries into his mouth. 

“And you’re all about style, aren’t you?” Steve asked, a glimmer of annoyance flickering in his light blue eyes.

“Of the people in this room, which one is A, wearing a spangly outfit, and B, not of use?” Tony asked flippantly, eyeing Steve’s suit pointedly.

“Steve, you can’t honestly say that you don’t think something’s cooking.” Lyssa said bluntly.

Steve looked between the three of them, seeing the genuine honesty in each of their faces. “Just find the Cube.” He said finally after several seconds before turning on his heel and stalking out of the lab.

“ _ That’s  _ the guy my Dad never shut up about?” Tony asked incredulously, gesturing towards the door that closed automatically behind Steve. “I’m wondering if they shouldn’t have just kept him on ice.” Tony muttered.

Bruce snorted in amusement, nodding in agreement with the billionaire.

“He’s going through a transition.” Lyssa said in defense of the Captain. “It’s not easy, living with the knowledge that everything you know and love is gone.”

Bruce looked at her, a small frown on his face. “You’re speaking from experience.” He stated rather than asked. “From ending up on Asgard last year.”

“And other events.” Lyssa said vaguely, nodding. Bruce and Tony exchanged looks and frowned, each wondering what she meant. “But as much as I hate to admit it, Steve isn’t wrong about Loki wanting to start a war.” Lyssa said heavily, moving the topic back to the relative matter at hand before either scientist could question her further.

“He  _ does _ have the jump on us.” Bruce agreed.

“What he’s got is an Acme dynamite kit.” Tony said dryly, stepping away from his screen and crossing the lab. “It’s going to blow up in his face. And, I’m gonna be there when it does.”

“Thor and I as well.” Lyssa said. 

“Yeah, I’ll read all about it.” Bruce said, smiling slightly.

“Uh-huh.” Tony said dryly, moving to the portable screen and pressing several buttons, looking at the readouts that appeared. “Or, you’ll be suiting up with the rest of us.”

Bruce chuckled sardonically. “You see, I don’t get a suit of armor.” He said, not looking away from the screen he was working at. “I’m exposed, like a nerve. It’s a nightmare.”

“You know, I’ve got a cluster of shrapnel trying every second to crawl its way into my heart. This stops it.” Tony said, patting the arc-reactor in his chest that was hidden by his shirt. He turned away from the screen and moved towards Bruce, Lyssa joining the two of them. “This little circle of light, it’s part of me now. It’s not just armor. It’s a terrible privilege.”

“Bruce, over the past year, I have been growing more powerful each day.” Lyssa revealed. “Even before I ended up on Asgard, I was more powerful than even the Headmaster of the school I went to, at least in terms of raw power. He had been one of the most powerful wizards on Earth, the only person Voldemort ever feared.” She said, assuming that both scientists would know who Voldemort was. Not receiving any confused looks or questions, she had assumed correctly and continued speaking. “All my life, I had feared my magic, what it was capable of doing, what  _ I _ was capable of doing if ever I lost control. And you know what, I  _ did _ !” She snapped. “I lost control when I learnt of my brother and sister-in-law’s deaths, of the betrayal done by someone we trusted and another person I loved being sent to prison for it. I lost control so badly, I destroyed the entire grounds of Hogwarts Castle, a structure that has withstood a thousand years of war, famine, drought and hundreds upon thousands of children learning to control their magic. The only thing that prevented me from destroying the castle as well was all the students inside.” Lyssa admitted quietly, her moonlit silver eyes filled with guilt at the damage she had nearly caused, the memory that still haunted her.

“But you can control it.” Bruce refuted, looking between Tony and Lyssa.

“Because I learned  _ how _ .” Tony said. He glanced at Lyssa. “And I’m assuming Lyssa did as well.” He said.

Lyssa nodded. “I also had Thor.” She admitted. “He helped keep me grounded in sanity, so I wouldn’t lose control again. Especially when my powers began growing over the past year. He is my anchor, as is Aria and all my family and friends.”

“It’s different.” Bruce said, shaking his head. “I don’t have an anchor like that.”

“Hey, I read all about your accident.” Tony said, clearing the screen of the readouts so Bruce could pay attention to him. “That much gamma exposure should have killed you.”

“So you’re saying that the Hulk… the Other Guy… saved my life?” Bruce asked, chuckling depreciatively. “That’s nice. That’s a nice sentiment. Saved it for what?” Bruce asked.

“I guess we’ll find out.” Tony said softly, moving back to his own screen.

“You may not enjoy that.” Bruce warned.

“And you just might.” Lyssa countered. “If you both have everything under control here, I’m going to go see Thor and Aria.” She said. “I want to know what the medic said about Aria’s little trip and I also have a few questions for Agent Coulson.” She admitted.

“Yeah, we got this covered.” Tony said, glancing at her before turning back to his screen.

“Go, be with your daughter and your boyfriend.” Bruce added in agreement.

Lyssa smiled brightly at them before turning on her heel and gracefully striding out of the lab.

_ Links: _

_*_ _Lyssa dress (light green) while not in her battle dress, hair open -_[ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879489377942/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879489377942/)

_ *Lyssa shoes (light green) - _ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879485371107/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879485371107/)

_*_ _Aria dress/ shoes/ hair/ accessories -_[ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879483309978/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879483309978/)


	4. The Revelation

**Chapter 3: The Revelation**

_May 4_ _, 2012_

Lyssa made her way towards the bridge, catching up with Thor and Aria heading in the same direction. Rather, Aria was running in that direction, shrieking happily, while Thor chased after her, purposefully staying a few feet behind her. Aria’s blanket was folded over his shoulder, blending in with his clothes quite well.

“This Midgardian Healer has stated that all is well with Aria.” Thor said, falling into step with Lyssa while Aria ran ahead of them.

“That’s good.” Lyssa said, feeling a weight lift from her shoulders at the confirmation that their daughter was safe.

“Have you spoken with Son of Coul of how fare Jane and Darcy?” Thor asked softy, wrapping his arm around her waist. “I, myself, have not as of yet.”

“I was going to ask him.” Lyssa replied. “That’s why I’m heading to the bridge, to see if he’s there.”

“Very well.” Thor replied, nodding.

They turned their attention to Aria, who was darting between the legs of the agents that were walking through the hallways. No one particularly minded the toddler, taking her delighted laughter and running in stride. A few actually made it a game, teasing her as she tried darting between their legs and earning an adorable pout when she failed to pass by them.

“Don’t be fooled by that pout.” Lyssa called to an agent that was playfully keeping Aria from passing by him. “She’s a devious little spider-monkey.” Lyssa warned.

Aria, as though knowing her mother was talking about her, looked up at the adults with an angelic smile.

“Indeed, she is.” Thor agreed. “Many a time she has fooled me.”

“In all fairness, that’s quite easy.” Lyssa said dryly.

Thor raised his eyebrow at her, a mischievous glint appearing in his striking blue eyes. “Oh?” He said, grinning playfully at her. Thor poked her in the side, drawing a loud shriek of laughter from her. He repeated the action, causing her to shriek in laughter again.

Lyssa slipped from his hold and ran. He darted after her, pausing long enough to pick up a laughing Aria and place her on his shoulders.

“Fa’ter! Fa’ter, Daddy!” Aria shrieked delightedly.

Thor obliged, increasing his speed as he chased after Lyssa. Their laughter, bright and cheerful, filled the hallways, agents quickly moving out of the way when they approached. Lyssa, Thor and Aria were given a few raised eyebrows by a couple of agents as they shot past them, but no one commented on the joyous laughter. It was actually welcomed, especially after how many people had died in the past few days alone as a result of Loki’s actions.

Lyssa slowed to a stop as she entered the bridge, Thor following suit when he reached her. He set Aria down on the ground, passing her blanket to her and taking hold of her free hand in a firm grip.

“Excuse me, have you seen Agent Coulson?” Lyssa asked an agent passing by her.

“Yes ma’am. He’s over there.” The agent replied, pointing to a row of computer consoles. Coulson was at the far end of the row, standing behind an empty chair and looking at the computer screen.

“Thank you.” Thor said gratefully, nodding at the agent.

The agent smiled in response before walking off. Thor, holding Aria’s hand firmly, and Lyssa walked towards Coulson, reaching him just as he straightened up and turned to them.

“I was just about to go looking for you.” Coulson said with a smile. “I figured you would want to know about Dr. Foster and Miss. Lewis.” He stated in explanation rather than asked.

“We would, yes, please.” Lyssa replied, nodding. She looked at the screen, seeing a candid image of Jane taking up most of the space.

“As soon as Loki took the doctor, we moved Jane Foster and Darcy Lewis.” Coulson said, his voice becoming brisk and concise, a habit borne from delivering reports and news on many occasions. “We’ve got an excellent observatory in Tromso.” He told the concerned couple. Aria held her arms out to him, wanting to be picked up and Coulson obliged. He perched himself sideways on the table, holding Aria in his lap.

“Aunnie Jane!” Aria exclaimed delightedly, reaching out to touch the image on the screen.

“Dr. Foster was asked to consult there very suddenly yesterday.” Coulson said with a hint of playfulness in his blue eyes, easily keeping Aria from touching the touch-sensitive computer screens. “Handsome fee, private plane, very remote.” He listed. He looked at Lyssa and Thor, seeing the worried glint in both their eyes. “She and Darcy’ll be safe.” Coulson reassured them.

“Thank you, Agent Coulson.” Lyssa said with heartfelt gratitude.

“Thank you.” Thor echoed, just as grateful as Lyssa. Coulson smiled at them both, accepting their thanks. “It’s no accident, Loki taking Erik Selvig.” Thor said heavily.

“I dread to think what he has planned for him when he’s done.” Lyssa said gravely.

“Erik is a good man.” Thor said softly, remembering the elderly mortal who had helped him the previous year. The mortal who had been a second father to Lyssa.

“He talks about you a lot.” Coulson revealed. He looked at Lyssa. “And he misses you. You and Aria both.” He stood up, setting Aria on her feet with her blanket in her hand. She wasted no time running around directly in front of them, staying close to her parents while she played and kept herself occupied. “You changed his life.” Coulson told them. “You both changed everything around here.” He admitted. “Now that magic is relatively known, at least with SHIELD.”

“They were better as they were.” Thor said depreciatively as they slowly began walking away from the communications area. “We pretend on Asgard that we’re more advanced, but we come here, battling like bilge snipe.” He admitted thoughtfully.

“Like what?” Coulson asked, confused.

“Bilge snipe.” Lyssa said. “They are huge, scaly and with big antlers.” She explained. She turned to Thor, who realized that the agent had no idea what the creatures were. “They do not have bilge snipe here on Midgard.” She said.

“Truly?” Thor asked, looking at Coulson in mild surprise.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Coulson said, shaking his head.

“Well, they are repulsive.” Thor told him matter-of-factly. He walked over to the observation glass, looking out at the still darkened sky. “They trample everything in their path.”

“Says the man who kept one as a pet many centuries ago, as I recall.” Lyssa said, shooting him an annoyed look. “I still shudder at the memory of that time.”

“That was a great many centuries ago, my gazelle eyes. I have apologized since then.” Thor said defensively. “On many occasions.”

“It tried to eat me.” Lyssa retorted indignantly. “And it very nearly succeeded.”

Coulson frowned, picking up certain things Lyssa said that didn’t add up with what he knew of her, granted he didn’t know very much. There was also her physical appearance, the biggest change about her. “What do you mean?” Coulson asked, causing the couple to look at him. “And I’ve been wanting to ask since I saw you, why do you look different than you did last year? With the pointed ears and the glowing skin when you were in your armor?” He elaborated. “And the way you’re glowing now, like how Thor is.”

Thor and Lyssa exchanged looks, both keenly remembering the utter emotional roller coaster the past year had been for them both.

“To put it simply, I’m a Light Elf.” Lyssa said. “Hence the lighter hair color, the pointed ears and the ethereal glow.” She gestured to her ears that were peeking out between her thick hair. The locks that had previously been a dark cherry color were instead closer to a rose red shade*. It would continue lightening until becoming completely rose red in color, the shade she had in her previous life, as Anera, Princess of Alfheim. “The glowing skin when I'm in my armor is because I’m the Goddess of the Moon.” Lyssa explained.

Coulson still looked confused, not understanding how it was possible.

With a sigh, Lyssa and Thor proceeded to explain to him about the past year that had been spent on Asgard.

Not long after Lyssa had begun settling into her new life, she started noticing that her magic was getting stronger. She found that her spells were becoming over-charged, even simple ones like levitation and basic transfiguration that she had learned in her first and second year of school. In addition, she found that she was able to use healing spells, though they were overcharged as well, without a wand, when she had previously had to use it because of the nature of that type of magic. Healing magic was a particularly draining form of magic, if not occasionally volatile, thus needing the use of a wand because of the toll it took on the caster. However, Lyssa found that she felt none of the side effects, such as energy drain, increased appetite or tiredness, when she cast the spells without her wand, even if they were overcharged. She also found herself in tune with the moon, her strength and magic even being affected by the various phases, being stronger when it was full and not quite so when it was new. And she seemed to know things about Asgard and the Realms that couldn’t be attributed to her gift of Foresight, or even being a witch who had been raised with the belief that the various pantheons were real and not myths.

As she had told Bruce and Tony in the lab, she’d had her reservations about the increasing power, fearful of what she was capable of. The memory of destroying the Hogwarts grounds was never far from her mind. However, it had been Frigga and Thor who reassured Lyssa that her capacity for love and compassion would temper the possibility of descent into madness. So long as she had Thor helping her and supporting her, more so than anyone else in their family, she would remain anchored to sanity and not lose control.

However, the biggest change that shocked not only Lyssa, or even Asgard, but all the Realms, was her physical appearance. Just like with her magic, the lightening of her hair and pointing of her ears hadn’t been noticed at first as it had occurred very gradually, until Aria had been the one to point it out one day when she had been playing with Lyssa’s hair. After extensive research and scans done by the Asgardian healers, they realized that she was the reincarnation of Anera, the Goddess of the Moon (explaining the crescent moon on her forehead) as well as the Goddess of Magic and a minor Goddess of Healing, Crown Princess of Alfheim and Thor’s beloved who had died 25 years earlier. The very same woman whom they believed hadn’t been reborn following her last death on the eve of her and Thor’s wedding.

Odin and Frigga explained the full story to Lyssa, where she previously had only been told the basics of Anera being reincarnated dozens of times over the centuries because of some kind of curse. She was always a Goddess, always named ‘Anera’ and the same thing would happen each time – meeting Thor, falling in love with him while becoming best friends with Loki, only to die when she reached the equivalent of early twenties for whichever race she had been reborn into in that particular life. Her current life, as Lysianassa Potter, had been the only one where she had lived longer the equivalent 20-21 years and the only time that she had been reborn as a mortal.

Odin explained that he had been cursed by a vengeful Sorceress who had been furious that he chose Frigga as his Queen over her, cursing him to watch his child find love, only to lose it, over and over again. He was made to watch his child break a little more with each time she died, not only Thor but Loki as well who loved Anera just as much as his brother, albeit differently.

Upon learning the full story and starting to regain her memories of her many past lives, Lyssa began having misgivings about her relationship with Thor. She feared that her feelings for him were a remnant of the past, an echo of her past lives and wondered whether _his_ feelings for her were for her as she was or for her past selves. Learning this (rather having to draw it out from her after many days of her avoiding him as much as possible), Thor adamantly reassured her that while he had certainly noticed the small number of similarities between her and her past selves, like her crescent moon, her eyes, the familiarity of her magic and her wings when they were revealed, he had fallen in love with her _before_ learning of her being Anera’s current incarnation.

After spending some time working through and processing the new information she had been given, as well as the memories she had been recovering, she fully accepted who she had been as well as who she was – a witch, a Light Elf and a Goddess. During that time, she had also met Faradei, her younger brother from her immediate past life and Crown Prince of Alfheim, speaking with him at length about what was happening. In the end, Lyssa decided to reclaim her status as Crown Princess of Alfheim while Faradei remained the Crown Prince as they were the eldest son and daughter of the King and Queen. But she ceded the role of ‘direct heir’ to him as he had been since her death. At the resulting questions she received because of her decision, Lyssa frankly stated that the people knew Faradei and would frankly sooner trust _him_ on the throne than they would her, for all that she was the current reincarnation of Anera. They had all known who she was as Anera, but they were still getting to know her as Lyssa. She also pointed out that in all honesty, she was different in her current life than all the previous lives she had lived because of what she had experienced in the 25 years she had lived as a mortal on Earth, experiences that she never went through in the past.

Lyssa also pointed out, rather bluntly, that she had her hands full with raising Aria (and Thor), controlling her increasing powers, learning what it meant to be a Princess (which was _very_ different than what Midgardians believed), processing her returning memories as she gained them (of which there was frankly a _lot_ because of how many lives she had lived and how many years), dealing with her body’s physiological changes and working on her relationship with Thor.

Her explanation was met with understanding and support. It was different from her previous lives, but that had been the point. _Lyssa_ was different from her previous lives and she had made that very clear from the get-go.

By the time Lyssa and Thor finished speaking, Coulson was staring at them with a slack-jawed and wide-eyed expression, completely stunned. He had sat down on the steps leading up to the mezzanine above the bridge while Thor and Lyssa leaned against the stair railings.

Coulson opened his mouth before closing it a second later, completely speechless. “Whoa.” He said faintly after several minutes of failing to utter a sound. “That… That is one hell of a year.” He said bluntly.

“You’re telling me.” Lyssa muttered.

“So, what’s with the nickname? Gazelle Eyes?” Coulson asked curiously. “The shape of your eyes?” Coulson asked Lyssa.

Thor chuckled lightly. “In part.” He said. “It also comes from our first meeting, in her very first life. Loki, who calls her ‘gazelle-eyed sister’, and I had met Anera because of a gazelle.” He explained. “We had been on a hunt in the forest, aiming to take down a gazelle we had caught sight of, when we heard Anera screaming angrily which startled the gazelle, causing it to flee. Loki and I followed the sound of her voice and came upon a few young warriors who had been teasing her about her magic, how it had very little use in combat which had been what she was practicing.” Thor grinned at the memory while Lyssa blushed sheepishly. “My gazelle eyes promptly showed then that not only was she quite skilled in magic, being the Goddess of Magic, but in combat as well. While the bullies had been nursing their wounds, Loki and I revealed ourselves. Loki calmly pointed out that he was skilled in magic as well, being a God of Magic as well as Mischief and Tricks, but so was Queen Frigga who had been raised by witches. The bullies had quickly retreated after that.”

“It was then that I introduced myself to them both.” Lyssa said. “That was the first time we became friends. Thor and I fell in love with each other over the following 50 years, being together for nearly 200 more before I faced my first death.” She said quietly.

“I can’t imagine what you guys are going through. Being faced with what Loki is doing.” Coulson said sympathetically, realizing with a start that there was so much more to the relationship between Thor, Loki and Lyssa than can be expressed.

Thor turned to look out through the observation glass once more. “When I first came to Earth, Loki’s rage followed me here.” He said softly, his ethereal features filled with anguish. “And your people paid the price.” He said, glancing at Coulson, referring to the humans who had been in New Mexico the previous year. “And now, again.” Thor said softly.

Aria paused in her games, her running around in the immediate area, and turned to her father. She went to him, trailing her blanket behind her, and held her arms out to him. “Up, Daddy. Up.” She said firmly.

Thor obliged, lifting her up and perching her on his hip, easily adjusting her blanket so it remained in her grasp.

“And to think, in your youth, you courted war.” Lyssa said quietly, stepping towards him and Aria. She put her hand on Thor’s arm, comforting him and reassuring him despite her comment of his youth.

“More so in these 25 years when I had lost you.” Thor said with a heavy sigh, pressing his forehead against hers.

Coulson looked away, feeling as though he were intruding on a private moment between the couple.

“War hasn’t started yet.” Fury’s voice pierced through the bubble Thor and Lyssa had been in, the couple turning to him. Fury was on the mezzanine, looking over the railing down at them and sporting an expression akin to apologetic as though he hadn’t wished to interrupt the moment. “Either of you think you could _make_ Loki tell us where the Tesseract is?” Fury asked, becoming serious. He fervently prayed to a God he wasn’t sure he completely believed in that Aria was too preoccupied by playing with Thor’s hair to pay attention to the less than child-friendly conversation they were having.

Thor and Lyssa exchanged looks, pondering the idea despite the churning feelings it rose in their guts. “I do not know.” Thor said honestly after several minutes, his expression pensive. “Loki’s mind is far afield.”

“It’s not just power he craves” Lyssa revealed quietly. “It’s vengeance, upon Thor.”

“Loki has blamed me for Anera’s death 26 years ago and he still blames me.” Thor explained. “It had been an underlying tension between us all these years, increasing with each year that had passed with no sign of her being reincarnated.”

Coulson and Fury both frowned at the explanation, though it was only the former who knew what Thor was referring to. Lyssa noticed their expressions and sighed quietly. “It certainly is not a logical anger or blame, but it is one brought on by grief that had been slowly warped with time.” She said sadly. “It has been made worse after Loki learned the truth of his parentage, the secret that had been kept from him, followed by his fall through the abyss last year.”

“There’s no pain would prise his need from him.” Thor said heavily.

“A lot of guys think that, until the pain starts.” Fury pointed out, slowly walking down the steps and stopping halfway.

“What are you asking us to do?” Lyssa asked, looking up at Fury.

He leaned over the railing, looking closely at both Thor and Lyssa. Fury looked into their eyes in turn with his own, dark eye. “I’m asking, what are you both _prepared_ to do?” Fury asked, switching between meeting Thor’s eyes and then Lyssa’s without blinking.

“Loki is a prisoner.” Thor pointed out.

“Then why do I feel like he’s the only one on this boat that _wants_ to be here?” Fury retorted.

Lyssa gasped, her eyes becoming unfocused.

_Coulson stood on the mezzanine in the containment room, carrying a massive gun in his hands. It was aimed at Loki. “Move away, please.” Coulson said in his ever-polite tone. Loki froze in front of the cage’s control console, his hands up and looking at Coulson, his gaze darting between the man and the gun being held in his hands. “You like this?” Coulson asked calmly, gesturing to the gun. “We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer.” Thor and Lyssa, with Aria strapped to her chest in a sling, were trapped inside the cage, watching helplessly. Aria had tears streaming down her beautiful face, her cherubic cheeks stained with old tear tracks. “Even I don’t know what it does.” Coulson admitted, him and Loki slowly walking towards each other. Coulson powered up the gun, the gentle hum filling the room. “Do you want to find out?” Coulson asked curiously._

_He gasped in pain, groaning as he was stabbed through the chest from behind. It was Loki._

_“NO!” Thor and Lyssa screamed in unison. Aria began crying in earnest, her wails filling the room while Thor banged on the reinforced glass that contained them._

_His efforts were useless and they could only watch helplessly as Coulson groaned again. The image of Loki that he had been talking to faded, revealing it to have been an illusion while the real Trickster pulled the scepter free. Coulson fell to the ground, slumped against the wall panel beside him._

_Thor panted heavily, his eyes filled with rage and anguish at being helpless. Beside him, Lyssa struggled to calm Aria down, only to fail as they watched Coulson struggle for each breath. Blood poured from his wound and dripped from the corner of his mouth, trickling down to the floor._

“My gazelle eyes?” Thor asked, looking at her.

Lyssa didn’t respond to his silent question, turning to Coulson, who was looking at her in confusion, as was Fury. “You were stabbed.” She said softly so that no one else could hear.

“What do you mean?” Fury asked, his voice and expression filled with protectiveness towards his friend and subordinate.

“I have the gift of Foresight.” Lyssa explained. “I sometimes get visions of the past, present and future. And what I saw was a vision of the future.”

“How can you tell?” Coulson asked, remarkably calm in the face of the news.

“Because Loki was the one to stab you and it was in the Containment Room.” She replied. “I don’t know when it happens, only that it does.”

“Okay. Anything else you can tell me?” Coulson asked intently.

“Only that Thor, Aria and I were helpless to aid you.” She admitted. “We were in the cage while Loki was out of it. I don’t know why we were inside and he wasn’t. The vision began when you stopped Loki from touching something on the control console.” She said with a frown, trying to remember the details of the vision. Because she had been present in the vision, she could feel her vision-self’s emotions, the heart-wrenching anguish, the anger and the helplessness at not being able to save him. “I can’t remember!” She cried, her feelings of helplessness increasing.

Thor set Aria down on the ground and drew Lyssa into a hug, rubbing her arms comfortingly. “It’s okay.” He said reassuringly. “Take your time.” He said gently. Thor pulled away from her and guided her to sit on the steps kneeling in front of her while holding her hands. He rubbed the back of her palms soothingly with the pads of his thumbs. “Say what you remember. Don’t push yourself.” Thor said softly. “You were in the vision, you are feeling an echo of your self’s emotions.” He reminded her.

Coulson and Fury exchanged looks. Neither could say with complete certainty that they believed that Lyssa could see the future, but they could see that it had clearly shaken her. Thor’s reaction to it, as well as Aria not seeming to be fazed by it, lent credence to the fact that there _was_ some basis to the ‘vision’.

“Do you actually see me die?” Coulson probed gently.

Lyssa frowned, trying to remember. “No. I-I don’t believe so.” She replied after a few seconds. “You were struggling for breath when the vision ended.”

“So that means that there’s still a chance that I survive.” Coulson said with finality.

Thor looked up at him from where he was still crouched in front of Lyssa. “Do not take this lightly, Son of Coul.” Thor warned him. “Never in all these centuries has my gazelle eyes’ visions been wrong.”

“I get that.” Coulson said reassuringly. “But I’m remaining optimistic. And I knew the risks associated with this job when I signed up.” He added.

Lyssa looked up at him, meeting his light blue eyes with her own moonlit silver ones. For several seconds, she looked into his eyes, as though searching for something. “Very well.” Lyssa said finally, rising to her feet, Thor following suit. “You are a grown man capable of making your own decisions. I have given you the warning of what I have seen. It is on your head to choose what you do with the information.” She said.

It was something she had struggled to come to terms with, the harsh truth that she wasn’t able to save everyone even with her gift of Foresight. She had done all that she could, at least with what little information they had, and it was up to Coulson to decide what to do. His fate lay in his hands. He will still be stabbed in the containment room, but whether he lived or died was yet to be determined.

“Thank you.” Coulson said gratefully, unfazed by the seemingly brisk tone the redhead had used.

Lyssa nodded in response as Thor caught Aria when she ran past him, perching her on his hip. Fury gave them a long look, Lyssa in particular, before exchanging a glance with Coulson and walking away. Coulson smiled at the couple and the happily babbling toddler before following Fury, falling into step behind him and slightly to the left.

Lyssa sighed quietly. She turned to Thor, playfully bopping Aria on the nose at the same time. “I should get back to the lab.” Lyssa said. “We have much work to do to locate the Tesseract.”

Thor nodded in understanding. “I will keep Aria with me.” He said.

Lyssa nodded and pressed a kiss to Aria’s cheek and another to Thor’s lips. He watched her turn and walk away, the folds of her dress fluttering around her legs with each graceful step she took.

It only took her a few minutes before she reached Bruce’s lab, rejoining him and Tony in the search for the Tesseract. While they worked, Lyssa told them about the past year that she had spent on Asgard after Tony pointed out her physical changes from the last time they had met. She finished telling the story just as they had succeeded in activating the tracking program that they had created and much like Coulson had been, both scientists were speechless.

“Let me get this straight. You and Point Break have pretty much been through hell for God only knows how many millennia, all because some broad was jealous that Thor’s father picked his mother over her?” Tony asked incredulously, perched on the edge of one of the tables. “This whole thing is because of _jealousy_?”

“Pretty much, yes.” Lyssa replied, nodding. She was sitting on a padded back chair, her posture regal despite the relaxed atmosphere just as it had been while she had been seated at the round table on the bridge.

“Puts things into perspective.” Bruce muttered. Lyssa and Tony looked at him in confusion. “I thought that the Hulk was a curse. But what you and Thor have been going through, what his family, and even Loki, are going through, that’s…” He trailed off, shaking his head. “Honestly, there’s nothing I can say that can describe what I’m feeling.” He admitted.

Tony nodded in agreement. “Tell me about it.” He said. “And I’m the guy who has something to say about _everything_.” He said dryly.

Before Lyssa could respond, Fury strode into the lab with long and purposeful strides. “What are you doing Mr. Stark?” Fury demanded to know, not pausing to exchange pleasantries with the scientists.

“Uh, kind of been wondering the same about you.” Tony replied, becoming flippant.

“You’re supposed to be locating the Tesseract.” Fury said, only his many years as a spy keeping him from glaring at the billionaire.

“And we are, Director.” Lyssa said, turning her attention to him. “The tracking program is locked on and we’re sweeping through the signature now. Once it gets a hit, we’ll have a location within a half-mile.” She explained, pointing to the computer screen behind Fury that displayed the readouts of the program.

“Yeah, then you get your Cube back.” Tony remarked. “No muss, no fuss.” The screen next to him chimed with incoming alerts and he looked at it. “What is ‘Phase 2’?” He asked, looking back at Fury.

“I’m wondering that, too.” Lyssa admitted, recognizing the term from her vision two days earlier.

Before Fury could respond, Steve walked in with a gun in hand. The gun wasn’t like any model currently in production, clearly an advanced piece of technology meant only for SHIELD use. Steve put the weapon on the table, a loud clattering sound echoing around the lab. “Phase 2 is SHIELD uses the Cube to make weapons.” Steve said crisply before glancing at Tony. “Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me.” He added sheepishly.

“Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract.” Fury said walking towards Steve and gesturing to the gun. “This does not mean that we’re making-”

“I’m sorry, Nick.” Tony said loudly, cutting the Director off and drawing the man’s attention. Tony turned the screen around to show Fury, revealing the blueprints of missile-like weapons that were clearly powered by the Tesseract. “What were you lying?”

“I was wrong, Director.” Steve said coldly as Natasha and Thor entered the lab. Aria was perched on her father’s hip, drinking from a juice box while holding her blanket with her other hand. “The world hasn’t changed a bit.”

“Did you know about this?” Bruce asked Natasha, gesturing to the screen and drawing Thor out of his thoughts.

“You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?” Natasha asked instead of replying to Bruce’s question.

“I was in Calcutta. I was pretty well removed.” Bruce retorted, chuckling dryly.

“Loki’s manipulating you.” Natasha said, taking a few steps towards Bruce, her entire body poised and ready in case she had to fight.

“And you’ve been doing what, exactly?” Bruce asked sarcastically.

“You didn’t come here because I bat my eyelashes at you.” Natasha remarked.

“Yes, and I’m not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy.” Bruce snapped, irritated. “I’d like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.” Bruce said firmly, removing his glasses and using them to point to the screen.

“Not nice.” Aria said sagely around her straw.

“Because of him.” Fury said, pointing at Thor.

“Me?” Thor repeated in surprise.

“Him?” Lyssa repeated in surprise.

“Daddy?” Aria asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion.

“Last year, Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town.” Fury explained, sighing heavily. “We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, _hilariously_ , outgunned.”

Lyssa, whose surprise gave way to anger the longer Fury spoke, leveled the man with an ice-cold glare. “Don’t you _dare_ blame what happened last year on Thor.” She hissed, her voice just as cold as her expression. “Yes, Loki’s rage followed him here, but it is not a justified reason to use the Tesseract for your own purposes. You don’t know the power you’re dealing with, a power that would have even the Allfather thinking twice before wielding.”

Thor put his free hand on Lyssa’s shoulder in an effort to calm her temper. “Our people want nothing but peace with your world.” Thor added, looking at Fury.

“But you’re not the only people out there, are you?” Fury asked in response. “And you’re not the only threat.” Fury sighed. “Your daughter, who wasn’t even 2 at the time, managed to dent the Destroyer when not even your friends had been able to.” Fury reminded them. Everyone in the lab looked at Aria in amazement and shock, all of them having at least the basic idea of what had occurred the previous year, if not aware of the full story. 

“Don’t remind me.” Lyssa muttered, “I’m still haunted by that.”

“As am I.” Thor admitted softly.

“The world is filling up with people who can’t be matched, that can’t be controlled.” Fury continued his previous line of explanation, drawing attention away from the not-quite young parents.

“Like you controlled the Cube?” Steve challenged.

“Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies.” Thor said, effectively telling Fury that the blame was shared by them both. “It is a signal to all the Realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war.”

“A higher form?” Steve repeated in alarm.

“A form that Earth is _not_ ready to deal with.” Lyssa said bluntly. “Mankind has only just learned of the existence of other planets; the entire Magical World continues to remain largely separated from the Muggle World, with a few notable exceptions.” She pointed out. “But that is only because of magic’s inherent nature to remain hidden as the dangers of exposure far outweigh the possibility that we would be met with welcome. It is the one of the only things that both Good and Evil agreed upon eons ago.”

“Wait, but Loki used magic in Stuttgart.” Steve pointed out. “Does that mean we’re going to have to deal with the repercussions of that as well?”

“Don’t think so.” Lyssa replied, shaking her head. “If he had exposed magic, we would be facing the repercussions already. In this day and age, humans tend to find a logical and rational explanation for what they see, a scientific explanation. To put it bluntly, you’re notoriously oblivious to the obvious.” She said bluntly.

“You forced our hand.” Fury said, defending his reasoning, looking at Thor and Lyssa. “We had to come up with something.”

“A nuclear deterrent.” Tony stated dryly. “Because that always calms everything right down.”

“It is just like humans, to think of war before peace on general principle.” Lyssa said sarcastically. “And I can say so with certainty because I was born and raised as a human for 24 years.”

“Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark.” Fury snapped, whipping around to glare at the billionaire.

“I’m sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck-deep-” Steve began dryly.

“Wait, wait, hold on. How is this now about me?” Tony asked, drawing the Super Soldier’s attention.

“I’m sorry, isn’t everything?” Steve asked snidely.

“I thought humans were more evolved than this.” Thor remarked to Lyssa, watching the two men bicker.

“Apparently not.” The reincarnated Goddess replied, taking the empty juice box from Aria and tossing it into the nearby bin.

“Excuse me, did we come to your planet and blow stuff up?” Fury asked Thor, rounding on the Thunder God and glaring furiously at the larger man.

“You treat your champions with such mistrust.” Thor retorted, glaring at the Director.

“Are you boys really that naïve?” Natasha asked incredulously. “SHIELD monitors potential threats.”

“ _Captain America_ is on a threat watch?” Bruce asked incredulously, crossing his arms over his chest.

“We all are.” Natasha replied.

“Wait, you’re on that list?” Tony asked, looking at Steve. “Are you above or below angry threats?”

“Stark, so help me God, if you make one more wisecrack…” Steve threatened, trailing off, clenching his jaw angrily.

“Threat!” Tony called. “Verbal threat! I feel threatened.”

“Show some respect.” Steve snapped.

“Respect for what?” Tony asked challengingly.

As the arguing continued, Aria whimpered, scared at the changes she was sensing in the adults. Over the past year, she had become more sensitive towards emotions, particularly those felt strongly or shared by a group of people. No one knew why she had gained the beginnings of what they were assuming was Empathy; Lyssa and Frigga speculated that it might have something to do with Aria’s still unbound magic and her desire to fit in with the other Asgardian children she regularly played with, all of whom were stronger, faster, _older_ and in some ways more powerful than her.

Aria burrowed her face into Thor’s shoulder, her tiny frame trembling. Thor absently rubbed her back soothingly, continuing his side of the argument while Lyssa furiously defended him against Fury’s accusations.

The multi-faceted argument went on for several minutes, their voices eventually blending together to create a cacophony of noise. Aria whimpers became sniffles that went unheard amid the noise, her father continuously rubbing her back soothingly in instinctive motions.

“You speak of control, yet you court chaos.” Thor said, bouncing Aria slightly as he rubbed her back.

“That’s his MO, isn’t it?” Bruce asked, looking at Fury. Everyone looked at him as he continued, “I mean, what are we, a team?” He shook his head. “No, no, no. we’re a chemical mixture that _makes_ chaos. We’re… We’re a time bomb.”

“You need to step away.” Fury said, slowly stepping towards Bruce.

“Why shouldn’t the guy let off a little steam?” Tony asked, putting a hand on Steve’s shoulder.

“You know damn well why.” Steve snapped, brushing Tony’s hand off his shoulder. “Back off!”

“I’m starting to want you to make me.” Tony retorted.

“Yeah.” Steve said with a scoff, stepping towards Tony and glaring at him. “Big man in a suit of armor. Take that off, what are you?” Steve asked challengingly.

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” Tony replied flippantly without missing a beat.

Lyssa had to hand it to him; he certainly was all of the above without his armor.

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you.” Steve said, sneering at the billionaire. “I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself.” Tony clenched his jaw, glaring at the man who Howard Stark had spent most of his life searching for. “You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play, to lay down on a wire and let the other guy crawl over you.” Steve said.

“I think I would just cut the wire.” Tony said flippantly, hiding behind his customary mask of nonchalance.

Steve chuckled sardonically, shaking his head. “Always a way out.” He remarked. His chuckles faded as a glare etched itself on his fair features. “You know, you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero.”

“A hero?” Tony repeated. “Like you? You’re a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.”

“Put on the suit.” Steve challenged, stepping closer to Tony, the two men barely half a foot apart. “Let’s go a few rounds.”

Thor laughed, not pausing his ministrations in comforting Aria whose whimpers had become sniffling sobs. “You people are so petty, and tiny.” Thor said, his laughter slowing to chuckles.

“Yeah, this is a team.” Bruce said sarcastically.

“Agent Romanoff, would you escort Dr. Banner back to his-” Fury began, only to be cut off by the mild-mannered scientist himself.

“Where?” Bruce asked. “You rented my room.”

“The cell was just in case-” Fury began, once again trying to justify his actions.

“In case you needed to kill me.” Bruce said, cutting Fury off before he could finish. “But you can’t. I know, I tried.”

At Bruce’s admission, a stunned silence fell over the lab, everyone staring at the scientist in shock. It was broken by a sharp wail that pierced the room and they all turned to the source of the sound.

It was Aria. Her large green eyes were filled with tears, streaking down her cherubic cheeks as she gripped her blanket tightly with both hands.

Thor bounced her and rubbed her back as he had been doing, but she continued to cry. Lyssa held her hands out to Thor and he passed the wailing toddler over, staying close as they both rubbed her back soothingly.

“What’s wrong?” Natasha asked loudly, so as to be heard over the loud wailing.

“We believe Aria may be an Empath.” Thor replied. “She can feel this tension that is between us.”

“She can feel your self-hatred and despair.” Lyssa said, turning to Bruce without pausing her ministrations. “Everything you’re feeling right now, because it is so strong, it’s over powering the rest of our emotions, our anger and frustration with each other.”

Bruce looked at her guiltily, his feelings of self-hatred and despair inadvertently increasing. “I-” He started only to cut himself off, unsure of _what_ to say.

“The fault is not yours.” Thor told him gently, his voice holding no trace of accusation. His ethereal features also had no accusation, only sympathy and understanding. “The fault is no one’s.” Thor said firmly.

Slowly, Aria’s wails slowed, becoming whimpers once more. She gripped her blanket in one hand and a lock of Lyssa’s hair in the other, a tight grip on both. “What you mean?” Aria asked, looking at Bruce. Her large emerald green eyes piercing his soft, brown ones, her gaze almost peering directly into his soul.

Unable to continue meeting her eyes, despite her being a toddler, Bruce looked away. “I got low; I didn’t see an end.” He said softly, keenly aware of everyone’s eyes on him. He wrapped his arms around his chest almost defensively, continuing, “So, I put a bullet in my mouth, and the other guy spit it back out.” He sighed, shrugging his shoulders slightly. “So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was _good_ . Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk, put a _toddler_ at risk. No matter how powerful Aria may seem to be, she’s still a baby and you put her at risk by dragging me here.” Absently, he reached behind him while turning to look at Natasha. “You want to know my secret, Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?”

Focused on Natasha, Bruce didn’t notice how everyone’s postures became more alert and on guard; Thor stepped in front of Lyssa and Aria protectively, Natasha mirroring the action while slowly reaching for her gun on her thigh holster. Fury was doing the same thing, both spies freeing the guns from their confines but keeping them lowered while Steve stepped in front of Tony who was defenseless without his suit.

“Dr. Banner.” Steve called, his voice prompting the scientist to whip around to look at him. “Put down the scepter.”

Bruce frowned and looked down at his hand, realizing suddenly that he _was_ holding the scepter, the blue orb at the top glowing brightly. He looked up but before he could say anything, the computer running the search program beeped with an incoming alert, drawing everyone’s attention. “Sorry, kids, you don’t get to see my party trick after all.” Bruce said quietly, putting the scepter back on the table and walked across the lab to the portable computer that had been running the program.

“You located the Tesseract?” Thor asked.

“I could get there fastest.” Tony said.

“The Tesseract belongs on Asgard.” Thor argued.

“No human is a match for it.” Lyssa agreed.

“You’re not going alone.” Steve said, grabbing Tony by the arm and stopping him from leaving.

“You gonna stop me?” Tony asked, brushing Steve’s hand off his arm.

“Put on the suit, let’s find out.” Steve challenged.

“I’m not afraid to hit an old man.” Tony said.

“Put on the suit.” Steve repeated, this time through clenched teeth.

“Oh, my God.” Bruce breathed, staring at the screen in horrified alarm.

Before he could say anything else, an explosion rocked the Helicarrier, a wave of fire erupting through the floor of the lab and rippling through the room. Everyone was thrown in different directions, Lyssa curling around Aria, who was screaming fearfully as they crashed through the glass window and onto the level below.

_Links:_

_*Lyssa’s hair color, the shade it was slowly lightening to from its previous dark cherry red color -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/342977327870526198/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/342977327870526198/)


	5. The Scattering

**Chapter 4: The Scattering**

_ “All hands to stations.”  _ A brisk voice called over the PA system.

Lyssa sat up slowly, simultaneously rubbing Aria’s back and murmuring soothingly to her, absently listening to the voice on the PA system. The toddler stopped screaming the moment they landed, thankfully uninjured, but Lyssa’s leg was pinned beneath a heavy pipe. The weight was hardly noticeable to her Elven strength, but it was pinning Natasha down by the leg as well beside her, meaning that Lyssa needed to be careful while extracting them. On Lyssa’s other side, Bruce was writhing on the floor, groaning and grunting. It was clear he was struggling to maintain control over the Hulk, trying to keep from changing from the stress he was under.

“Natasha!” Lyssa called, reaching over and nudging the other woman in the arm.

Natasha came to with a start, groaning and coughing, clearing away the dust that had gotten caught in her throat. “I’m okay.” She said hoarsely.

_ “Romanoff?”  _ Fury’s voice echoed through Natasha’s earpiece.

Natasha grunted, pausing her attempts to free herself and activating her end of her comm link. “We’re okay.” She said.

Bruce panted, straining against the urge to transform. His body was covered in a faint sheen of sweat, his clothes very nearly soaked through.

“We okay, wight?” Aria asked softly, her voice filled with nervousness.

“Yeah, kiddo. We are.” Natasha said, just as nervously.

But where Natasha was looking at Bruce, Aria was looking at the pipe pinning both older women down.

“Prongslet, I need you to move to the side, please.” Lyssa said, patting the floor beside her. Aria nodded and quickly clambered off Lyssa’s lap, dragging her blanket along with her. Lyssa looked between Natasha and Bruce, seeing the former struggling to extract herself from where she was pinned down while the latter was groaning and trying to keep his transformation at bay. “Doctor?” Lyssa called, carefully lifting the pipe and sliding her leg out from beneath it before letting it go again.

Bruce groaned loudly, his hands curled into tight fists and his teeth clenched.

“Bruce?” Natasha called. Lyssa moved towards her, stopping abruptly when the grating beneath them groaned at the shifting weight. “You gotta fight it.” Natasha said, managing to keep her own composure despite her racing heartbeat. At the same time, she tugged at her leg, trying to dislodge it from beneath the pipe.

“This is just what Loki wants.” Lyssa said. Bruce growled lowly and Lyssa’s eyes instinctively darted towards Aria, the toddler watching with wide eyes while sucking on her thumb. “Bruce, we’re going to be all right.” She said, trying to reassure the man who was rapidly losing control. “All four of us. You, Natasha, Aria and I. We’re going to be okay.” She said, slowly and carefully sliding sideways towards Natasha.

A pair of agents ran towards them, calling out and asking if they were hurt. Natasha frantically waved her hand at them, silently telling them to leave. Both agents, seeing that Bruce was clearly struggling with control but that Lyssa, Natasha and Aria were relatively okay and didn’t need immediate attention, obeyed the silent order and quickly retreated.

“I swear on my life, I will get you out of this.” Natasha vowed, hoping that it would mean something to the scientist. She had been the one to ‘drag him back to the freak show’ as he had put it and she felt responsible, regardless of the fact that she had only been following orders. “You will walk away and never ever-”

“Your life?!” Brue roared in a monstrous voice, cutting Natasha off. He whipped around to look at her, his skin tinted green and his teeth clenched.

“I don’t think that was the smartest thing to say.” Lyssa muttered, her eyes never moving from Bruce’s slowly changing form. She had paused in her act of helping Natasha extract herself from beneath the pipe pinning her leg in favor of turning her attention to Bruce.

Natasha didn’t respond to the quip, her gaze entirely on Bruce as he panted, his back arching backwards. While both Lyssa and Natasha watched Bruce change with a mix of trepidation and fear, Aria was the only one who was calm. Even Bruce, who was continuing to struggle against the transformation, groaning and growling lowly as his body mass and size increased, feared that he could harm them, Aria in particular.

Lyssa reached out and grabbed Aria, tucking the toddler close against her chest while Natasha struggled to pull her leg free. Bruce stumbled, leaping off the grating and onto the floor, landing on all fours and writhing in pain. Lyssa grabbed a piece of debris and hastily transfigured it into a sling, strapping it to her chest and slipping Aria into it, back to chest, securing her firmly in place. She turned to Natasha, sliding towards the still-pinned woman and lifting the pipe carefully. Natasha moved her leg out of the way and Lyssa dropped the pipe once more before helping the other woman to her feet.

“Bwuce.” Aria said softly, meeting the man’s eyes over Lyssa’s shoulder.

Bruce growled, an inhuman sound as he tore through the flimsy fabric of his clothes and his body changed completely. He got to his feet, stumbling for a moment before he caught himself on a furnace tank, creating a massive dent in it. Bruce roared, the sound echoing throughout the concrete and steel chamber.

“We gotta go.” Lyssa said frantically, looking around. “Where can we go?” She asked, holding Natasha’s arm over her shoulders with another wrapped around the woman’s waist to support her.

“Stairs.” Natasha said, grunting in pain as she put her weight on her injured leg. Gritting her teeth, she pushed past her pain with expertise, pointing out the stairs to Lyssa. They led to a partly concealed mezzanine, used for maintenance on the pipes and ducts that ran through the entire Helicarrier.

The reincarnated Goddess wasted no time all but carrying Natasha up the stairs, a fully changed Bruce close behind them. The Hulk roared loudly, the sound prompting Lyssa to move as fast as she could with her two precious cargos. Getting to the top of the first flight, Lyssa let Natasha go and the assassin wasted no time leaping up and grabbing the railing, using it to pull herself onto the mezzanine in a display of death-defying acrobatics. She reached down and grabbed Lyssa’s hand, pulling her up and helping her climb over the railings.

Just as Lyssa’s feet touched the mezzanine floor, the Hulk roared and ripped the stairs free from the landing. Aria whimpered, starting to become afraid whereas she had previously not been so while Bruce had been transforming. She leaned back against Lyssa as much ass he could, gripping her blanket tightly with both hands as Lyssa and Natasha performed a series of acrobatics to avoid the rampaging Hulk on their heels.

“The sun is rising.” Lyssa whispered, ducking beneath the large turbines.

“How can you tell?” Natasha asked in a whisper.

“I’m the Goddess of the Moon.” She replied. “I can feel its path across the horizon.”

“Will it affect your powers?” Natasha asked in slight concern. “The Moon not being up anymore?”

“No.” Lyssa replied, shaking her head. “I am naturally more powerful when I have direct access to the Moon, bathed in its light, but it is not gone. Merely moved to another side of the planet. I am the Moon just as it is me. We are one and the same.”

“Don’t get how that works, but okay.” Natasha muttered.

Heavy footsteps thudded, the sound echoing around them. The two women and one toddler ducked between a set of air tanks, peeking between the metal canisters in search of the Hulk. Not seeing him, Natasha drew her gun and silently stepped out of their hiding place, Lyssa behind her and carrying the spy’s second gun with the same expertise; Lyssa couldn’t risk using magic while they were in such confined quarters, not with all the tanks around them that provided life support to the entire Helicarrier. The risk of destabilizing the aircraft was also too high and Lyssa had the feeling that the Hulk would be as immune to magic like giants and trolls were, if Bruce’s admission of what he had survived was anything to go by.

Lyssa and Natasha walked through the darkened chamber on silent feet, not even Lyssa’s heels making a sound. Natasha looked to the side to find the Hulk peering through the turbine pipes and he roared at her. Aria screamed fearfully, squeezing her eyes shut and leaning back against Lyssa as much as she could. The scream drew Natasha out of her momentary pause, and she aimed her gun up at the oxygen pipe above the Hulk. Without hesitation, she fired a single bullet at it with deadly accuracy, piercing though the metal sheathing.

Pressurized oxygen erupted in a concentrated stream of air, hitting the Hulk directly. He yelled and batted his fist at the pipe, causing it to break apart completely and fill the air with oxygen, obscuring his sight at the same time. Lyssa and Natasha took advantage of the distraction, clasping hands and running in the opposite direction of the Hulk. Natasha led the way through the Helicarrier, favoring her right leg but not letting it slow her down as the Hulk rapidly closed in on them.

He roared, smashing through the glass chambers on either side of the corridor that they were running through. The electrical units and servers that were contained within the rooms all emitted showers of sparks as the Hulk smashed through them without a care, roaring loudly and angrily.

“ _ Protego.”  _ Lyssa cried desperately, waving her hand over herself, Aria and Natasha. She prayed that the defensive spell wouldn’t interfere with the electrical systems surrounding them, magic and electricity already a volatile combination without adding their heightened emotions to the mix.

Reaching the end of the corridor, the Hulk caught up to the two redheads and the toddler. He batted them to the side, both women being thrown towards the far wall. Lyssa managed to unfurl her wings and catch herself before she could hit the wall but wasn’t able to catch Natasha in time. The spy hit the wall and fell to the ground with a thud, grunting as she landed on her injured leg.

“Natasha!” Lyssa cried in alarm landing in front of her and retracting her wings.

“I’m okay.” Natasha gasped, sitting up.

Trusting her to know her body, Lyssa turned around to face the Hulk, standing protectively in front of Natasha. At the same time, the Goddess unstrapped Aria’s sling, setting it and the whimpering toddler beside Natasha, never moving her gaze from the green giant.

The Hulk growled, stepping towards them with his hand raised. Lyssa held her hands out in front of her, silently casting a shield spell around herself, Natasha and Aria. “I will not let you harm them.” Lyssa growled protectively, staring up at the Hulk with a fierce expression on her face.

The Hulk growled, his gaze going from Lyssa’s determined and fierce expression to Aria’s whimpering and fear-filled form. Natasha, despite groaning and gasping in pain, curled her arms protectively around the toddler, holding her close as much as her battered body would allow.

Before the Hulk could make a move, he was hurled into by a flying figure and thrown through the wall, into the Hangar Bay on the other side. Once the pair rolled to a stop and the dust cleared, the figure was revealed to be Thor, prompting Lyssa to let out a sigh of relief.

“It never fails to amaze me that man’s timing.” She muttered, turning her attention to Natasha and drawing her wand. “Okay, I need to run some scans on you.” Lyssa explained, crouching in front of the injured woman. “I need to know what I’m healing, before I can do any healing.”

Natasha nodded and uncurled her arms, letting Aria slip away from her. While Lyssa began running her wand over the injured woman’s body, murmuring all the while, Aria began babbling to Natasha. With the way Aria was looking through the hole made in the wall by Thor and Hulk, it was clear she was regaling the women on the status of the battle occurring on the other side. Neither Lyssa nor Natasha particularly understood what Aria was saying but let her continue with her stream of babble as it kept her occupied and more importantly,  _ away _ from the battle that she was witnessing. If her tone was anything to go by, she clearly thought it was similar to the sparring matches she had witnessed on Asgard and not an actual fight where Thor was desperately trying to get the Hulk to regain his bearings.

Natasha hissed quietly as Lyssa began casting healing spells on her. She could feel each of her wounds one after another become extremely hot, then just as cold before settling back to her normal temperature.

_ “We’ve got a perimeter breach! Hostiles are in SHIELD gear. Call-outs at every junction.” _ An agent called over the PA.

Natasha and Lyssa exchanged looks but stayed where they were, the witch continuing her task of healing the injured woman.

_ “We have the Hulk and Thor on Research Level 4. Levels 2 and 3 are dark.”  _ An agent called over the comms, his tone indicating he was speaking to whoever was with him rather than the still open comm links.

_ “Escort 6-0, proceed to Wishbone and engage hostile.”  _ Hill’s voice ordered over the comm.

“What does that mean?” Lyssa asked in concern.

_ “Don’t get too close.”  _ Hill cautioned.

_ “Copy.”  _ An agent replied in response.

“They’re trying to get the Hulk’s attention.” Natasha replied. “He’s gonna tear this place apart in his rampage. A fighter jet is going to fire on him to draw his attention and stop the rampage.”

“I don’t think it’s going to go that well.” Lyssa said with a frown. “Bruce said that the Hulk spat out a bullet fired _in his_ _mouth_.” Lyssa reminded her. “I don’t think even magic could stop him and if the sound of the fight is any indication, I think even Thor’s having a bit of trouble. Though that might have more to do with him trying not to hurt the Hulk.” She added thoughtfully. Thor wasn’t known as the Giant Slayer for nothing; he was well aware of how to fight bigger, stronger and larger opponents than he, of which the Hulk was all of the above.

Natasha’s eyes widened, realizing the truth of Lyssa’s words.

_ “Target acquired.” _ The pilot called. There was a pause, Lyssa and Natasha waiting anxiously.  _ “Target angry! Target angry! Target angry!”  _ The pilot shouted in alarm a few seconds later.

“Well, duh.” Lyssa muttered dryly, rolling her large, moonlit silver eyes.

Natasha shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as her body adjusted to the spells used on her. Lyssa wrapped her arms around the other woman, Natasha leaning into her embrace and the warmth her body provided. Aria covered Natasha with her blanket, determinedly tucking the edges in, her tiny tongue sticking out between her lips in her concentration, before curling up on the woman’s other side.

Unlike ordinary spells, wanded healing magic used the recipient’s magic in addition to the caster’s to heal the body. But with Muggles, who had very little to no magic at all, the spells took a toll the same way any form of healing would, leaving them tired, wrung out and feeling as though they were fighting off a fever.

Suddenly, the ever-present hum of the engines, which had reduced following the malfunction in one of them, reduced further. Natasha lifted her head from Lyssa’s shoulder and exchanged looks with her, wondering what was going on.

_ “Engine 1 is now in shut down.”  _ An agent announced over the PA as if in response to their confusion.

“Uh oh.” Aria chirped around her thumb that she had been sucking on for the past several minutes.

Through Natasha’s comm, they could hear agents clamoring as they frantically tried to restart the engine. The Helicarrier tipped to the side, falling from the sky without the engines keeping them in the air.

_ “We are in an uncontrolled descent.”  _ An agent called over the comms.

_ “It’s Barton.” _ Fury said briskly.  _ “He took out our systems. He’s headed for the detention level. Does anybody copy?” _

Natasha straightened up, removing the blanket from her still shivering form.

“Natasha?” Lyssa asked in concern.

Natasha looked at her, never breaking eye contact as she reached up and activated her comm. “This is Agent Romanoff.” Natasha said. “I copy.”

“You are in no condition fight.” Lyssa argued in frustration. Natasha’s actions were similar to James and Sirius’ had been as well as the other Marauders and even Lily. Even the Asgardians had a tendency to ignore their body’s needs in favor of continuing the fight. “Your body is still healing itself and you are suffering the side effects of healing magic being used on you.”

Natasha sighed softly. “I have to do this.” She said softly, her light green eyes filled with an emotion that Lyssa couldn’t understand.

The Goddess sighed. “Very well.” She said, seeing that there would be no arguing with the determined redhead. She picked up the sling and strapped it to her chest once more before settling Aria into it, the toddler’s back to her chest just like before. “I’ll go to the containment room to check on Loki.” She said.

Natasha nodded. She picked up Aria’s blanket and handed it to her, receiving a bright, toothy smile in response. Natasha smiled back at her before turning on her heel and briskly walking away. Lyssa followed her, easily keeping pace and unfazed by the spy’s sudden briskness.

They quickly reached a junction and stopped. “Containment room is down the hall.” Natasha said, pointing in the mentioned direction. “It’s the only door on the left.”

“Got it.” Lyssa said briskly, nodding. “Good luck.” She said.

“You, too.” Natasha replied.

Without a backwards glance at each other, both women split up and hurried down the opposite ends of the hall. Lyssa reached the containment room just as Thor did from the other side. They both spared a single second to run their eyes over each other, Thor sighing in relief at seeing with his own eyes that his beloved and their daughter were unharmed, before entering the containment room.

The cage door slid open with a quiet hiss and Loki turned to it, a smug smirk on his ethereal features.

“No!” Thor shouted, running up to the cage with Lyssa half a step behind him.

Loki crouched defensively in the cage doorway. However, Thor flew right  _ through _ him and into the cage as Loki’s form flickered before disappearing entirely. The golden-haired prince landed on his front with a grunt, Lyssa landing on top of him with Aria stuck between them both as the door slid closed behind them, trapping them. The toddler gave a cry of annoyance, not happy at being squished between her parents and the couple hurriedly got to their feet, both shaking off the disorientation at the unexpected action.

“Are you ever not going to fall for that?” Loki asked curiously, looking at Thor. The Trickster was standing calmly on the other side of the cage, his hands clasped gracefully behind his back. Thor growled angrily while Loki turned his attention to Lyssa. “And you had always been able to see through my illusions, my gazelle-eyed sister. What happened this time?” Loki asked curiously.

“I’m still assimilating and processing all my memories and powers.” Lyssa said defensively. “Give me a break. It’s a lot to go through and it hasn’t even been a year since I began regaining them.” As she spoke, she tried disapparating out of the cage.

“Oh, there’s no point in trying to apparate.” Loki said silkily. “This cage is reinforced against magic, done, I believe, by a rather powerful wizard.”

“Great.” Lyssa muttered sarcastically under her breath. Nevertheless, she stopped trying to apparate because she would only risk splinching herself. She could also feel her powers being suppressed and knew that there weren’t just Anti-Apparition wards in place but Magic Suppression ones as well.

Thor, meanwhile, banged the reinforced glass with his hammer, letting out an angry roar. To Lyssa’s surprise, and Loki’s, a small crack appeared in the reinforced glass, proving that it wasn’t stronger than the mighty Mjølnir. But as a result of Thor’s action, a large clamp slotted into place on either side of the cage, a failsafe in case the occupant ever succeeded in getting free without authorization.

Loki chuckled in amusement. “The humans think us immortal.” He said conversationally, walking towards the control console. “Should we test that?” He asked.

“We may be immortal, but Aria definitely isn’t!” Lyssa snapped, her arms curled around her daughter. “She’s two!”

“Twee!” Aria said adamantly, a frown on her adorable face.

“Almost three!” Lyssa corrected herself without losing her previous indignation.

Before Loki could respond, a grunt caught their attention and they turned to the sound. It was Coulson, carrying a massive gun in his hands that he was aiming at Loki. At his feet was the guard, unconscious from a well-placed blow to the head.

“Move away, please.” Coulson said in his ever-polite tone. Loki froze in front of the cage’s control console, his hands up and looking at Coulson, his gaze darting between the man and the gun being held in his hands. “You like this?” Coulson asked calmly, gesturing to the gun. “We started working on the prototype after you sent the Destroyer.”

“Thor, this was my vision.” Lyssa said in alarm, her gaze never moving from the sight in front of them.

Thor wrapped his arm around her, holding her close while they watched helplessly, trapped inside the cage. Aria had tears streaming down her beautiful face, her cherubic cheeks stained with old tear tracks.

“Even I don’t know what it does.” Coulson admitted, unaware of the momentary by-play between the couple. He and Loki slowly walked towards each other. Coulson powered up the gun, the gentle hum filling the room. “Do you want to find out?” Coulson asked curiously.

He gasped in pain, groaning as he was stabbed through the chest from behind. It was Loki.

“NO!” Thor and Lyssa screamed in unison. Aria began crying in earnest, her wails filling the room while Thor banged on the reinforced glass that contained them.

His efforts were useless and they could only watch helplessly as Coulson groaned again. The image of Loki that he had been talking to faded, revealing it to have been an illusion while the real Trickster pulled the scepter free. Coulson fell to the ground, slumped against the wall panel beside him.

Thor panted heavily, his eyes filled with rage and anguish at being helpless. Beside him, Lyssa struggled to calm Aria down, only to fail as they watched Coulson struggle for each breath. Blood poured from his wound and dripped from the corner of his mouth, trickling down to the floor.

Loki calmly walked past him, shooting Thor and Lyssa a smug grin. The Trickster’s eyes were a bright, pale blue, the same color as the brightly glowing jewel at the top of his scepter. Loki went back to the control console, pressing a button. The floor beneath the cage opened, revealing the open sky beneath them. Wind whipped around the room, air whooshing and billowing through the folds of Loki’s armor.

Thor and Lyssa stepped back from the glass. Lyssa curled her arms around a sniffling Aria while Thor put his arms around them both, holding them protectively. Both Lyssa and Thor looked at Loki, neither about to let him have the satisfaction of seeing them turn their faces from their possible killer. Despite that, they both made sure that Loki couldn’t see Aria, at the same time keeping the toddler from seeing her would-be uncle. They could at least protect her from seeing the hatred in Loki’s eyes.

Loki’s gaze never moved from the trio in the cage. However, for a brief moment, his eyes flickered from blue to green and his hand wavered over the console. But, before it could be noticed, his eyes turned blue once more and he pressed another button.

The clamps holding the cage in place released and it dropped down through the cylindrical channel, out into the open sky. As they hurtled down to the Earth below, Thor tucked both Lyssa and Aria against his chest, protecting them as much as possible as they were tossed around inside the cage.

Thor slammed Mjølnir against the glass as they were tossed around, trying to break through it. The crack he had previously made became bigger.

“Do it again!” Lyssa shouted over the rushing wind, the shoreline getting ever closer.

“Hold tight!” Thor shouted back, adjusting his hold on Mjølnir. Lyssa obeyed, wrapping her arms around his neck while keeping Aria pressed between them. For once, the toddler didn’t express her usual annoyance at being squished, seeming to know that it wasn’t the time for her antics.

Thor let out a mighty yell as he pushed off from one side of the cage, aiming Mjølnir at the cracked glass. He smashed through it just as the cage hit the beach with a resounding crash and an equally massive dust cloud. With Aria still pressed between them, Thor and Lyssa hit the ground with matching groans, skidding several feet before stopping in a field surrounded by flowers. Mjølnir landed several feet away.

“Okay, that hurt.” Lyssa said with a groan, dropping her head on Thor’s chest.

He just groaned in response. Aria huffed and wriggled out of her sling, crawling over Thor’s head and onto the flowered ground. She tugged on her blanket and freed it from the sling, wrapping it around herself securely.

“Do not stray too far.” Thor said, turning his head to look at her.

Aria hummed in response, playing with the flowers that surrounded her, the bright morning sunlight glinting off her tiara that was still on her head. When getting her dressed, Lyssa had cast mild Sticking and Preservation Charms on Aria’s clothes and accessories, fully aware of the toddler’s tendency to get her hands dirty while playing and exploring.

Slowly, Thor and Lyssa got to their feet, shaking off the residual effects of their fall. While neither were injured, it was more the shock of the fall and resulting crash that had them disoriented, combined with witnessing Lyssa’s vision come to pass. Both were reeling from the helplessness and anguish at being unable to aid Coulson, despite knowing that there wasn’t anything they could have done for him with the way they had been trapped.

Thor slowly walked up to his hammer, holding his hand out to it. Before he could pick it up, he froze and clenched his hand into a fist. Lyssa looked at him in concern, watching the emotions play on his face, the hesitation, the fear, the nervousness. Everything that had happened over the past few hours had shaken him to the core, particularly the news that SHIELD had worked with the Tesseract because of him. No matter what Lyssa had said in his defense, Thor still felt responsible for Loki’s anger and rage.  _ He  _ was the elder sibling;  _ he _ was the one who should have consoled Loki after being subdued by the Allfather and drawn from the Crown’s Madness. But he didn’t and instead, Loki’s grief turned to anger, anger at the one he felt was responsible for Anera’s death – Thor. Because it had been Thor who was supposed to be protecting Anera while she prepared the spell needed to vanquish their opponents. But rather than doing so, he had joined the battle itself, believing himself capable of doing both tasks simultaneously. He hadn’t been able to and when the killing blow had landed on Anera, just as she finished the spell, he had been too far away to save her. He had only been able watch helplessly as Anera was struck from behind and using the last of her strength, activated the spell that vanquished the enemy.

“You will never know if you continue to hesitate.” Lyssa said softly, walking up to him with Aria following behind her. Lyssa put her hand on his upper arm, her tiny limb dwarfed by his bulging muscles. “I may not remember everything, but with what little I do know, I do not blame you.” She said softly, repeating the same thing she had told him on many occasions over the past year.

Thor looked at her, his striking blue eyes meeting her moonlit silver orbs. Just as it had been every time that she had previously told him, there was no lie in her eyes. Whether it would change the more she remembered, Thor didn’t know. Because for all that she didn’t blame him, she could not forgive him for something she didn’t fully remember nor could he plead for it until she did. All he could do was pray that when the time came, she would be able to forgive him for his failure in protecting her.

Aria tugged on Thor’s trousers and he looked down at her. “Up.” She demanded firmly, holding her hands out to him, her blanket trailing over one tiny arm. Thor obliged, picking her up and perching her on his hip. Aria cupped his face, her tiny hands being completely dwarfed by his beard alone, and looked at him directly in the eyes, striking blue meeting emerald green. “Daddy, I lovey. Mummy lovey. G’an’ma an’ G’an’pa lovey.” She told him firmly. “No more sad. No more scared.”

“She’s right you know.” Lyssa said softly. Thor looked at her, Aria dropping her hands from his face at the same time. “We love you. More importantly, we  _ believe _ in you. Now the question is, do  _ you _ believe in  _ yourself _ ?” Lyssa asked him.

Thor looked between Lyssa, Aria and Mjølnir, for several seconds, that was all he did, his expression pensive as he debated his answer. “Yes.” Thor said finally, with complete and utter certainty. “I believe in myself.” He said strongly.

Setting Aria down, he reached out and picked Mjølnir up with the same ease as he had over the past year since the Worthiness Enchantment had been placed on it. He thrust it up into the air and electricity crackled around him, the previously sunlit sky becoming covered with rolling grey clouds as a bolt of lightning shot down and struck Mjølnir. The portions of his armor that he had previously removed began reforming.

Lyssa grinned and closed her eyes, her body glowing just as it had the previous night. Slowly, the glow became brighter until she was completely obscured. Her dress changed into her battle armor, the folds of her skirt billowing in the wind caused by Thor’s own change.

When the bright light settled and the lightning faded, Thor and Lyssa stood in their armor, both ready to fight to protect the Earth. Just as she had the previous night when she was in her armor, Lyssa was glowing gently as though the moonlight was shining from beneath her skin.

“Yay!” Aria cheered delightedly, clapping happily. It never failed to delight her at seeing her parents change into their battle forms. She didn’t have armor of her own just yet, being too young for it, so she remained in her dress and tiara. 

For the Asgardians, who were all Gods and Goddesses, the armor wasn’t just a suit to protect the body during battle but was specifically designed for each individual, enhancing their power and divine designation. In some cases, like Lyssa, it also helped contain her immense power because it was far more dangerous for her to lose control in the midst of a battle than it would be at any other time. The feature had been added over the past year as she began regaining her past self’s memories and powers, still learning to control in her new body and life what had previously been instinctive.

Lyssa and Thor had discussed the possibility of Aria being given armor of her own because even though she wasn’t a Goddess, she was still a very powerful individual. To that end, they had spoken with the Asgardian smiths who made the armors and were told quite frankly that while no one had any objection, they couldn’t take the risk of creating a set for her only for it to inadvertently stunt her magical growth. There was a reason armor was only gifted once the divine designation was revealed as it gave the smiths something to work with. Aria’s magic was currently only limited by her imagination, and her temper.

Though, despite not being able to craft the armor for her, the smiths had worked in conjunction with the seamstresses and tailors to create garments for Aria that worked as a means of protection. The clothes wouldn’t protect her from everything, but they would help balance the playing field slightly whenever she played with the other Asgardian children. For all that everyone was careful, the children did sometimes forget themselves and their superior strength when compared to Aria. The smiths had also forged the various accessories that Aria wore, like her tiara and earrings, but rather than using real metals and gems, they had made artificial versions similar to what was found on Earth; they had gotten the idea from Lyssa after she had made a comment regarding her worries over letting Aria wear the real jewels when she was often playing and exploring her new home, getting dirty and often misplacing her accessories in the process. With most of the smiths being parents, along with the seamstresses and tailors, they were quite happy to come up with an alternative that was met with quite a bit of excitement among the population, particularly those with still relatively young children.

“Come on, you little spider monkey.” Lyssa said with a laugh, picking up the sling. She strapped it to her chest while Thor lifted Aria. He set the giggling toddler into the sling and secured her in place, making sure that there was no chance of her getting loose in the midst of the battle. He also folded her blanket and wrapped it around her chest and looped it through the sling’s straps before tying it tightly to keep it in place.

When he was done, he stepped back. “Ready?” He asked, looking down at the two most important females in his life

“Yeth!” Aria exclaimed excitedly,

“Just one thing.” Lyssa said.

“What?” Thor asked with a small frown.

“This.” She said. Without warning, she curled one arm around his neck and pulled him down to her height and pressed a kiss to his lips.

Thor responded immediately, curling his arms around her waist and molding their lips together in a chaste yet passion-filled kiss. Both of them were still mindful of Aria between them, babbling away to herself excitedly.

They pulled apart and locked gazes. For a single moment, neither spoke nor did they make any declarations of love, he only sound being Aria’s babbling. Instead, they let their gazes express everything, their love for each other and their desire for the other and Aria to survive the battle.

They stepped back a single pace from each other. Thor spun Mjølnir and thrusted it into the air while Lyssa unfurled her wings, both launching themselves into the sky.


	6. The Avengers

**Chapter 5: The Avengers**

Thor and Lyssa flew over the city, aiming for Stark Tower where they could see Loki standing on the Iron Man landing pad. He was observing the city below, watching as chaos reigned. Civilians ran for cover, fighting when they couldn’t hide, while police officers did their best to protect their innocents.

Thor and Lyssa landed quietly and gracefully on the veranda and looked up at the man they once called ‘brother’.

“Loki!” Thor called, drawing the Trickster’s attention. Loki turned to look at them, a single, elegant eyebrow arched at the sight of Aria strapped to Lyssa’s chest. Aria grinned up at him. “Turn off the Tesseract, or I will destroy it.” Thor ordered firmly.

Lyssa winced, her wings fluttering behind her. “Yeah, honey, about that.” She said, turning to her beloved. “It can’t be turned off.” Lyssa said sheepishly.

“My gazelle-eyed sister is correct, brother.” Loki said, aiming his scepter at them. “There is no stopping it. There is only…” he paused, gritting his teeth. His eyes flickered, changing from blue to green and then back to blue. For several seconds, his eyes shifted, unnoticed by anyone, until they turned back to blue and didn’t change again. “The war.” Loki finished with an angry growl.

“So, be it.” Thor said with resignation. Loki let out a yell and leapt off the landing pad, his scepter raised high and brought it down on Thor and Lyssa. Thor grunted as he blocked the strike, Lyssa dodging the blow and launching herself into the air. “Go! Aid the others!” Thor shouted to her, ducking another strike by Loki before delivering one of his own in return.

Lyssa nodded and flew down towards the street, one arm curled around Aria protectively. At the same time, she could hear the sounds of Thor and Loki exchanging strike for strike, each one being blocked by the other before it was retaliated. She cleanly avoided the large letter that fell from the tower’s side as a result of the duel, waving her hand so that it landed away from the panicking civilians.

“Take cover!” Lyssa shouted, waving her hands in practiced motions to clear paths for the civilians. At the same time, she wandlessly flung aside any Chitauri fighter, whether on the ground or on a chariot, that came near her. “Hurry! Get to safety!” She shouted, landing on the road as she continued her wandless spell casting.

“Huwwy!” Aria shouted, waving her own hands and mirroring Lyssa’s actions.

The civilians seemed too preoccupied and panicked to take notice of the magic Lyssa and Aria were using. Lyssa prayed that it meant they would avoid exposure, not too eager to deal with Cleaners, or the Ministry of Magic for that matter; though the Americans had become more lenient in recent years because of the ‘heroes’ popping up, allowing magic to be used so long as it wasn’t recognized as such, they were just as strict about the Statute of Secrecy as any other magical government. The Americans wouldn’t hesitate to send in Obliviators and if they couldn’t do the job, then Cleaners would be given the task of safeguarding the secret.

So long as Lyssa and Aria didn’t verbally cast any spells, they would be able to maintain the secret. They could excuse their powers, along with Thor and Loki’s, as being a part of their Asgardian heritage. Or so Lyssa hoped.

The Quinjet flew overhead and she shot into the air, maneuvering herself so that she was flying over it. Despite the jet still being in flight and not slowing down, Lyssa easily landed on the roof just as she and Thor had the previous night, adjusting her stance to maintain her balance. Tony flew past the jet at high speed, chased by a squad of Chitauri chariot flyers. Natasha and Clint activated the railgun from beneath the Quinjet’s belly, firing in rapid succession. At the same time, Lyssa cast a series of explosion and blasting spells with the same rapid succession while Aria copied her actions. Both the gun and the spells hit their mark, causing a fiery chain reaction as the chariots all exploded one after another.

The Quinjet, with Lyssa and Aria on the roof, glided through the resulting clouds of dark grey smoke. The railgun continued being fired and Lyssa and Aria followed suit, firing blasting and explosion spells at any fighter they saw. Feeling the jet tilt sideways slightly in a glide, Lyssa lifted herself off the roof and flew alongside it as they approached Stark Tower. Thor and Loki were still battling, the brothers evenly matched.

“Daddy!” Aria shouted before Lyssa could stop her.

Thankfully, her tiny voice was lost amid the chaos and Thor wasn’t distracted from his duel.

“No, baby. You can’t call for Daddy.” Lyssa said firmly. “It will only distract him from the fight.” She knocked on the jet window, catching Clint and Natasha’s eyes and gestured towards the princes.

Clint seemed to understand what she had been trying to say and nodded, exchanging a look with Natasha. The redheaded spy made a series of gestures to Lyssa as Clint maneuvered the jet to face the Tower nose first. Lyssa nodded and flew up, hovering over the windshield but staying out of Natasha and Clint’s way.

Loki succeeded in throwing Thor to the side. As soon as the blonde prince was out of the way, Natasha fired the railgun at Loki, Lyssa casting an enhanced Fire-Making Spell at the same time. The railgun bullets didn’t seem to penetrate the armor, but the spell hit him dead center, pushing him back several feet. He managed to regain his bearings enough to aim his scepter at the jet and fire a pulse, hitting the side before Lyssa could deflect it.

Thor barreled into Loki with a roar and Lyssa turned her attention to the burning jet. She could see Clint and Natasha both struggling to maintain altitude as they dropped.

“Mummy!” Aria cried in alarm.

“We need to slow the jet down.” Lyssa said calmly, only her racing heart belying her expression. “Remember, silent spells only.”

Aria nodded. Mother and daughter worked in unison to slow down the jet’s momentum. While they weren’t quite so successful in keeping the craft from crashing into several trees, they were able to slow down the descent enough that the civilians were able to clear the area. They also succeeded in keeping the jet from crashing straight into one of the many buildings that surrounded them, though it did clip a few at the corners.

The rear hatch opened, and Steve ran out, in full suit with his mask on, followed by Natasha and Clint. The three of them stopped in front of Lyssa and Aria, simultaneously assessing their surroundings, the chaos they had landed in and examining the young mother and child for outward signs of injury.

“We’re okay.” Lyssa said quickly, noticing the onceovers she and Aria were being given.

“Otay.” Aria echoed, smiling up at the adults.

Trusting them both to know their bodies and their limits, even if Aria was still a child, Steve turned and jogged towards the road. “We gotta get back up there.” He called over his shoulder.

Natasha, Clint and Lyssa followed after him, easily keeping pace with his long strides. At the same time, Natasha gave Lyssa a comm unit that she put in her ear, tuning into the frequency that they were using while Clint secured another one to Aria’s ear.

A loud mechanical grumble echoed on the air, piercing through the panicked screams of the clamoring civilians. Steve, Natasha, Clint and Lyssa slowed to a stop in front of Grand Central Station, all four of them and Aria looking up at the sky. More specifically, at the portal in the sky above Stark Tower.

They could only watch in horror as a massive Leviathan emerged, flanked by hundreds of chariot flyers. Fighters were launched from the Leviathan’s sides, catching themselves on the towering buildings that New York was known for. While some slid down to the ground, others crashed through the windows and into the buildings where civilians had taken refuge in groups. All at once, the civilians, who had paused and looked up at the portal when the mechanical grumble filled the air, resumed their panicking and screaming, all of them clamoring to get to safety.

“Uh oh.” Aria said her eyes wide.

Lyssa just nodded mutely; all that she had seen, in her past lives and her current life, could not have prepared her for the sight before her.

“Stark, are you seeing this?” Steve asked numbly, not tearing his gaze away from what he was seeing. It was as though the surge of chariots was endless, pouring out through the portal in droves.

_ “Seeing.”  _ Tony replied.  _ “Still working on believing.” _

“Same.” Lyssa said numbly.

“Uh huh.” Natasha and Clint agreed, nodding, slack jawed.

_ “Where’s Banner?”  _ Tony asked, becoming serious.  _ “Has he shown up yet?” _

“Banner?” Steve asked in confusion, shaking himself out of his stupor.

_ “Just keep me posted.”  _ Tony ordered.  _ “JARVIS, find me a soft spot.” _

Lyssa threw up a Protego spell, protecting them against a series of weapons blasts fired at them. In retaliation, Clint fired several arrows that Aria silently charmed to explode on impact.

“Wicked.” The archer breathed in amazement, seeing the arrows explode. He looked at Aria, the toddler grinning brightly. “Good girl.” He praised her.

“Yay!” Aria cheered happily, clapping her hands delightedly. Aria laughed delightedly as she played ‘rag doll’ with two of the fighters, levitating them into each other repeatedly.

Lyssa cocked her head to the side, looking at her daughter’s delighted expression. “Should I be worried about her apparent love for battle and carnage?” Lyssa asked in concern.

Natasha shrugged. “Hell if I know.” She said unconcernedly. “I’m not a Mom.”

“Her dad is a warrior-prince and you’re both from legendary warrior races.” Clint pointed out. “At least Thor is, I’m not too sure about Light Elves. My mythology sucks.” He admitted sheepishly, firing off another series of arrows that also exploded on impact.

“We are warriors, too.” Lyssa said nodding. She cast a series of fire, blasting and explosion spells in rapid succession. Aria continued playing ‘rag doll’, though she had moved on to another group of fighters since her previous set had become nothing more than a lump of metal and flesh. “Just not as much as the Asgardians.” Lyssa said. “Our divine designations are more nature based. Sun, Moon, Spring, Harvest.” She listed a few.

“And you?” Natasha asked curiously. “Anything other than the Moon?”

“Magic and Healing.” Lyssa replied. “But right now, the magic part is more along the lines of what I learned in school since I’m still regaining all my memories.”

“I’m confused.” Clint said, looking between the two redheads in confusion. “What are you two talking about?”

“Remember, I told you that Lyssa was a reincarnated Goddess.” Natasha reminded him, her attention focused on shooting at the chariots overhead.

“Yeah, I remember. Clearly there’s a lot more to that conversation that I clearly missed.” Clint muttered. Natasha had really just given him an overview to explain Lyssa’s changed appearance after she mentioned that the witch and Thor had been present. It was more of a preemptive measure so he wouldn't be too shocked when he actually saw her, which turned out to be a good thing.

“You have no idea.” Natasha said with a sigh.

They ducked behind an abandoned taxicab for a momentary respite, Clint keeping his hawk-eyed gaze on their surroundings. Natasha reloaded her guns with fresh clips while Lyssa retracted her wings for the moment and adjusted Aria’s position in the sling. The toddler was pressing quite painfully against Lyssa’s chest, despite the protective, armored bodice. Lyssa let out a sigh of relief when the pressure eased, Aria oblivious to her mother’s brief discomfort as the pale sunlight glinting off their tiaras. Steve, who had split away to scout the surroundings, rejoined the trio and toddler behind the taxicab.

“We’ve got civilians still trapped up here.” Clint said, gesturing to the buildings across from them. Amid the fighting, they had managed to get the civilians hiding in the abandoned and idling vehicles to safety. But they hadn’t been successful in doing the same for those stuck inside the public bus.

Loki flew past them on the back of a chariot, followed by a squad of chariot flyers.

“Loki.” Lyssa said softly, her moonlit eyes filled with sadness. “But where’s Thor?” She asked in concern.

“Daddy?” Aria asked.

Before anyone could respond, explosions rocked the streets as the Chitauri fired at the idling cars below without prejudice. The civilians that had been hiding behind the vehicles screamed as they ran for cover once more, dodging the explosions as best they could.

Chaos reigned throughout the city, unchecked and unchallenged.

“They’re fish in a barrel down there.” Steve remarked, looking down at the street directly below them. Officers, both on and off duty, struggled to stay ahead of the explosions while providing what cover they could for civilians to escape.

Natasha stood up and fired her guns at the fighters, Lyssa and Aria following suit with explosion spells. Several fighters dropped down in front of them from the passing overhead chariots.

“We got this.” Natasha told Steve, gesturing to herself, Clint, Lyssa and Aria. “It’s good. Go.”

“Do you think you can hold them off?” Steve asked, looking at Clint and Lyssa for confirmation.

“Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure.” Clint replied with a grin. In one swift move, he shot to his feet, spun around and fired an arrow at one of the fighters, hitting it dead center in the forehead.

Lyssa conjured a ball of flames in her hand and threw it at another fighter while Aria cast an enhanced blasting spell. Both of their spells hit true to their targets, causing a chain reaction of explosions. “We have this covered.” Lyssa said with a brilliant smile.

“Mummy, Awia wanna go wit Unnle ‘Teve.” Aria said, reaching out to the Captain.

Steve looked stunned at being called ‘Uncle’ before registering the request. He glanced at Lyssa who gave him a half shrug. “It’s up to you.” She said.

Steve looked back at Aria, seeing the hopeful expression on her cherubic features. “Sweetie, I’d love for you to come with me, but the truth is, I don’t very much experience fighting with a baby strapped to my chest. Not the way your Mommy and Daddy do.” Steve said regretfully.

“Otay.” Aria said, looking dejected.

“Next time.” Steve said sincerely.

“Pwomise?” Aria asked, holding her tiny hand out with the pinky extended towards him.

“Promise.” Steve said determinedly, linking their pinkies together. They shook, sealing the agreement before pulling apart.

While Natasha fired her guns in rapid succession, Steve turned and vaulted over the hood of the taxicab. Lyssa and Aria turned their focus on Natasha and Clint, who were seamlessly working in unison, firing their guns and arrows respectively. The two witches wasted no time in charming the bullets and arrows to explode on impact. At the same time, Lyssa erected a shield around them all to protect them against the resulting explosions while still allowing Natasha and Clint’s bullets and arrows to go through.

“Baby, you see that bus over there? With the people trapped inside?” Lyssa asked.

Aria nodded in response.

“We need to expand the shield to cover it so Uncle Clint can help the driver get everyone to safety.” Lyssa said.

“Otay, Mummy.” Aria replied.

“Clint, on my signal.” Lyssa called to the archer before he had the chance to register what he had been referred to. Not waiting for a response, Lyssa and Aria worked in unison to expand the Protego spell, pouring more power into it while keeping it one-way to allow Natasha’s bullets to penetrate it. Lyssa gritted her teeth, her brow furrowed in concentration. Aria whimpered, her tongue sticking out between her teeth in concentration. Slowly, the shield expanded, inch by inch, until it covered the entire bus as well as the entrance of the closest building. “Go!” Lyssa shouted.

Clint didn’t waste any time and neither did the driver. Both men worked in conjunction, the driver helping each passenger through the window while Clint caught them and set them to the ground. As soon as the last child was through, they both manually pushed open the doors, Clint from the outside and the driver from the inside.

“The buiwdin’.” Aria shouted to the clamoring passengers, pointing to the partially shielded building.

“Head to that building over there!” Lyssa yelled in explanation. “We have the entrance shielded, but it’s not going to last long!”

The passengers immediately ran to the building, the adults taking hold of the children’s hands to keep from being separated. For all their panic and the chaos that reigned, there was a measure of order as the adults kept the children close while running for safety.

As soon as the last of the civilians were off the bus, Clint rejoined Natasha in firing at the fighters. Both spies stood just behind Lyssa and Aria, providing cover while the two witches focused on maintaining the enhanced shield to protect the still-exposed civilians.

“Just like Budapest all over again.” Natasha remarked.

“You and I remember Budapest very differently.” Clint said dryly, firing his arrows in quick succession.

Lyssa canceled the shield spell once the last of the civilians were out of the open and turned her attention onto the fighters. They seemed to realize that they were no longer being held back and surged forward, crowding around the heroes.

Natasha and Clint displayed their array of lethal combat skills while Lyssa showed that having a toddler strapped to her chest did not, in fact, impede her ability to fight. The witch spun on her heels, ducking weapons blasts and firing several Cascading Jinxes in quick succession. The jinx targeted the fighters in close range, causing explosions that resulted in a chain reaction. Natasha holstered her guns and used her Widow’s Bite against the group of fighters that closed in on her, swiftly climbing up onto one’s shoulders, pinning it in place with her legs while activating her weapon. Clint leapt over a taxicab and fired his arrows in rapid succession, stalking towards a fighter that was approaching Lyssa from the side while she was focused on casting another Cascading Jinx. He used his bow to swipe its legs out from underneath, slamming it down onto its back before plunging an arrow into its chest.

“Thanks.” Lyssa breathed in relief.

“No problem.” Clint replied, grinning playfully at her.

_ “Well, we got its attention.”  _ Tony said, though it was obvious he wasn’t speaking to anyone in particular.  _ “What the hell was step two?” _

“Not getting killed!” Lyssa exclaimed, firing off a series of blasting and explosion spells.

“Bad awien!” Aria shouted, waving her hands at the fighters. They shot ten feet into the air before falling back to the ground where Lyssa smoothly blew them up with a Cascading Jinx.

“Good girl!” Natasha praised proudly, grabbing a Chitauri staff weapon. She easily figured out how to use it, firing it at a fighter before using it as an add-on while going up against another pair simultaneously.

Several more fighters dropped down around them, firing their staffs. Aria fired off a series of fire, blasting and explosion spells while Lyssa dodged the weapons fire. Clint slid across the ground, laying back and using his low vantage point to fire his arrows up at the chariots and their flyers, Lyssa charming the weapons to explode on impact.

Steve leapt over the bridge railing and landed gracefully in front of the spies and the witches. He used his shield to attack the fighters as well as defend against the weapon blasts, covering Clint as he got back to his feet.

Like a never-ending wave, more fighters surged towards the small group. But before any of them could fight back, a streak of lightning shot down from the sky, branching out and striking each fighter simultaneously.

“Thor.” Lyssa said with a grin. She watched as the Thunderer landed on his knee in front of them.

“Daddy!” Aria called delightedly.

“My gazelle eyes, my love.” Thor said, smiling at them and looking relieved that they were relatively okay. He pushed himself up to his feet using a nearby car, his right hand clutching his left side.

Lyssa frowned, seeing the way he was holding his side and hurried to him. “What happened?” She asked in concern. Before Thor could reply, she looked up at him with a fierce expression. “And don’t you dare say it is nothing, Thor Odinson.” She warned.

“Loki stabbed me.” Thor replied. “’Tis no big deal.” He added quickly.

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She replied with a growl. She looked at his wound which, admittedly, wasn’t very deep or life-threatening. She waved her hand over the wound, a soft, silvery-golden glow emitting from her palm. The glow was different from the one she emanated which appeared as though the moon was shining from beneath her skin.

Natasha, Clint and Steve watched in amazement as the stab wound healed and Thor’s armor repaired itself. Within a second, there was neither a stab wound nor a point of entry in the God’s clothes.

“Awl gone.” Aria chirped cheerfully.

“That was cool.” Steve said faintly. Clint and Natasha nodded in agreement. 

“Wait, why didn’t you do that when you were healing me on the Helicarrier?” Natasha asked curiously.

“This form of healing emits a glow. The kind I used on you had no such effect.” Lyssa replied. “I was also trying to avoid drawing Hulk’s attention away from Thor.”

Natasha nodded in understanding. Though she could have done without the side effect she had experienced, she hadn’t been in any hurry to revisit her encounter with the massive Hulk when he was already pissed off. She was well aware that her actions in bringing Bruce into the fold hadn’t endeared her to either aspect of the scientist’s personality.

Steve shook his head and turned to Thor. “Okay, what’s the story upstairs?” Steve asked, the question bringing everyone back on track.

“The power surrounding the Cube is impenetrable.” Thor replied.

_ “Thor’s right.” _ Tony called over the comms, zooming passed them with several chariots on his tail.  _ “We gotta deal with these guys.” _

“How do we do this?” Natasha asked.

“As a team.” Steve said.

“I have unfinished business with Loki.” Thor said.

“As do I.” Lyssa said in agreement.

“Yeah? Well, get in line.” Clint retorted, collecting his arrows and keeping the still usable ones while tossing the ones that weren’t.

“Awia too!” Aria chirped, not wanting to be left out.

“Save it.” Steve said firmly, ending the forming bickering match before it could start. “Loki’s going to keep this fight focused on us, and that’s what we need. Without him, these things could run wild.” Steve turned around to face the group. “We got Stark up top. He’s going to need us to…” He trailed off as the sound of an engine rumbling reached them.

Steve turned to the sound, the rest of the group following his line of sight. It was Bruce riding up to them on a motorcycle, a helmet on his head. He cut the engine, removed the helmet and climbed off the bike, walking towards them.

“Unnle Bwuce!” Aria called delightedly, a bright smile on her face.

Bruce smiled at her. His raised eyebrow was the only indication of his surprise at what Aria called him. “So, this all seems horrible.” He commented as they all met in the middle.

“I’ve seen worse.” Natasha said with a shrug.

“Sorry.” Bruce apologized sheepishly.

“Trust me. This is nothing compared to the Hogwarts Great Hall after the boys’ ‘welcome back’ prank at the annual Welcome Feast.” Lyssa said.

“Or the celebration following the Battle of Harokin.” Thor added.

“And we could use a little worse.” Natasha told Bruce.

“Stark, we got him.” Steve said into his comm.

_ “Banner?” _ Tony asked in confirmation.

“Just like you said.” Steve remarked, impressed.

_ “Then tell him to suit up.”  _ Tony ordered.  _ “I’m bringing the party to you.” _

He turned around the corner and flew towards the gathered group, the massive Leviathan on his tail. The massive creature swiped the corner of the building as it made the turn, sending debris, dust and glass everywhere.

Bruce, the only one with his back to the approach, turned around while everyone else looked on. Thor snarled, tightening his grip on Mjølnir while Aria cheered delightedly.

“I-I don’t see how that’s a party.” Natasha said, shaking her head and looking at the incoming beast.

Lyssa looked down at the delighted toddler before looking up at Thor. “She gets this from you.” Lyssa said exasperatedly.

“How is this my doing?” Thor asked defensively.

“Toddlers are not usually so excited about battles, carnage and massive beasts that can kill them with a flick of a tail!” Lyssa exclaimed.

“You were just as eager for battle!” Thor retorted. “Particularly when you had been Volstagg’s daughter and Fandral’s sister.”

“Not this much!” Lyssa argued, gesturing to their grinning daughter.

“Guys, now is really not the time.” Clint said as Tony flew over their heads

The Leviathan lowered itself to the ground, sliding between the idling and abandoned cars. Bruce began walking towards it.

“Dr. Banner.” Steve called to the scientist’s retreating back. “Now might be a really good time for you to get angry.”

“That’s my secret, Captain.” Bruce said over his shoulder, shooting the group at large a depreciative smile. “I’m  _ always  _ angry.”

Lyssa realized with a start that  _ anger _ was Bruce’s anchor. She watched as Bruce let out a low roar and he began to morph just as he did on the Helicarrier. Except, this time, he allowed the change, letting it ripple over him seamlessly as his body grew in size and his skin turned a deep, green color. His clothes ripped as a result of the change, his shoes getting destroyed as well, and all that he was left wearing were the trousers, cut off at the knees.

The Hulk curled his hand into a fist, delivering a mighty punch to the Leviathan as soon as it was in range. The force of the blow combined with the creature’s own momentum pushed the Hulk back several feet until he was able to regain his purchase, stopping directly in front of the gathered group. The back end of the Leviathan flew upwards, arching through the air and curved over them.

“Hold on!” Tony called from above. He fired a small, anti-armor missile from his gauntlet at the Leviathan.

The attack hit the mark, causing an explosion along the Leviathan’s underbelly and sides. It also resulted in a series of explosions occurring all along the sides.

Immediately, Lyssa and Aria worked in tandem, casting an enhanced Protego around the entire group. As an added precaution, Thor moved so that he was standing in front of them while Steve curled around Natasha with his shield protecting them and Clint ducked behind an overturned van. Hulk, just as unfazed by the explosion as Thor and Lyssa were, leaned away from the heat and shifted slightly so that he was protecting Clint.

The Leviathan groaned low as it fell over the side of the bridge and onto the street below, the few civilians on the road ducking out of the way. It twitched for a second before falling completely still. Several warriors that lined the walls of the surrounding buildings screeched angrily and the Hulk roared back as Tony lowered down to the ground and filled in the group’s ranks.

The team stood back-to-back in a wide circle. Lyssa and Aria raised their hands while Thor lifted Mjølnir. Clint notched his bow while Natasha reloaded her guns with fresh clips and Steve adjusted his shield.

The Avengers had assembled, and they were ready. As was their youngest affiliate.


	7. The Assemble

**Chapter 6: The Assemble**

_ “Send the rest.” _

“Loki’s sending more!” Lyssa shouted in warning, turning her gaze up to the portal. Her new teammates didn’t even bother asking how she knew that, instead following her gaze to the portal.

Sure enough, just as the reincarnated Goddess had said, more Chitauri emerged from the portal. However, what she hadn’t said was that ‘more’ meant dozens of Leviathans and hundreds upon hundreds of chariot flyers. And every single one of the chariots and Leviathans made their way down to the city as soon as they emerged through the portal.

“You couldn’t have given a bit more detail?” Tony snarked sarcastically. “Like just what ‘more’ meant?!”

“It’s not an exact science!” Lyssa snapped. “And I would know because I  _ am _ a scientist! All I heard was Loki saying ‘send the rest’!”

“Guys.” Natasha said, partly from nervousness at what they were facing and partly to nip the rising argument in the bud.

“Call it, Captain.” Tony said, becoming serious.

“All right, listen up.” Steve said firmly, easily slipping into the role of leader that he was tasked with. “Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof.” He pointed to the roof in question. “Eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you, Lyssa and Aria got the perimeter. Anything gets over three blocks out, turn it back or turn it to ash.” Steve looked at Aria, meeting her large emerald green eyes with his own light blue orbs. “You got it, kiddo?” He asked her.

“Bad awiens.” Aria said with a determined expression on her tiny face.

“That’s right.” Steve said, nodding. “You and Mommy gotta blow the aliens up.”

“Can you give me a lift?” Clint asked Tony.

“Right.” Tony said, nodding.

“Be careful, my gazelle eyes.” Thor said softly to Lyssa, facing her and Aria. “I have only just gained you once more. I cannot bear to lose you again.” Though his voice was soft, the team’s close proximity allowed them to hear what he was saying and more importantly, the gut-wrenching anguish in his voice. He had an agonized expression on his face, matching his tone.

The team exchanged looks, each of them silently vowing to make sure that, above all, Thor wouldn’t lose Lyssa again. While each of them had lost people they loved, none of them could even begin to imagine the pain of finding true love only to lose it over and over again. Not even Steve and Bruce could imagine it, for all that they had lost the women they loved, one to the passing of time and the other going her separate way for her own safety, despite not wanting to.

“No sad, Daddy.” Aria said gently. Her voice was a clear resonance piercing through the cloud of sorrow and pain that had descended on the group at large. “Ch’auri no huwt Mummy and Daddy.” She declared, strong and firm.

Lyssa and Thor both gasped in shock as they felt a ripple of pure love wash over them, Magic responding to Aria’s declaration. The team looked at the couple in worry, each hoping that the gasp didn’t mean anything bad. While none of them particularly believed in the Norse pantheon as their religion, Steve’s own admission being along the lines of ‘there’s only one God’ as his personal belief, they could all agree that Thor and Lyssa were among their most powerful members.

“What just happened?” Clint asked, looking between Aria’s determined expression and Thor and Lyssa’s slack-jawed and wide-eyed ones.

“Sh-She just i-i-invoked W-Will Magic.” Lyssa stammered, still looking completely shell-shocked.

“Huh?” Tony responded intelligently.

“She  _ willed _ it so that no harm would come to her mother or I.” Thor explained. “Aria’s pure desire to see us unharmed and her declaration had Magic invoking it upon us both.”

“Okay, for right now, is that a good thing or a bad thing?” Steve asked, deciding to focus on what they needed for the moment and deal with everything later.

“Good thing.” Lyssa replied, shaking herself from her shock. Thor followed suit, both of them turning their attention onto the Captain.

“Okay, so, nothing’s changed, then.” Steve said. “We’ll deal with everything else later. Right now, let’s just focus on the battle we’re in.”

“Bad awiens!” Aria exclaimed.

“That’s right.” Steve agreed. “We focus on the bad aliens.”

Thor and Lyssa nodded, seeing the wisdom in the decision. They really didn’t have the luxury of examining Aria’s invocation of Will Magic, though both privately prayed that it was simply a manifestation of her accidental magic. Aria was already powerful; there was no telling what the future held for her if Will Magic was among her abilities. Pushing the turbulent thoughts aside, the couple turned to each other and kissed quickly, expressing all their love for one another in that single action.

Pulling apart, Thor turned to Aria and kissed her forehead gently and lovingly. “I love you, my dear daughter.” He said softly, meeting her emerald green eyes with his own blue ones.

“I lovey, too, Daddy.” Aria replied, reaching up as much as the sling would allow and pecking him on the lips.

Thor straightened up and looked at Lyssa. “And I love you, my gazelle eyes.” He said strongly.

“I love you, too.” Lyssa said with a small smile. She stepped back from him and unfurled her wings, shooting into the air.

Tony stepped towards Clint and grabbed the back of his suit. “Better clench up, Legolas.”

“Wha-?” Clint started to ask before ending with a scream as Tony fired his thrusters and shot into the air.

Tony dropped Clint off on his perch before flying through the streets, quickly catching up with Lyssa and Aria. The armored philanthropist and the two witches worked in tandem, firing spells and weapons at the Chitauri fighters and chariot flyers, blowing them up. Being mindful of the less than friendly mix of magic and technology, Tony focused on one side of the street while Lyssa and Aria focused on the other, but still stayed within shouting distance of each other even with the comms.

Overhead, dark storm clouds gathered, circling around the Empire State Building where Thor stood on the mast. He channeled a strong, concentrated current of lightning through Mjølnir and directed it straight at the portal. Immediately, many of the still-emerging fighters and chariot flyers were destroyed, the explosions rippling back through the portal. Several smaller lightning currents danced along the building’s length, preventing Thor’s actions from being stopped as the concentrated stream destroyed a Leviathan. The resulting explosions caused a chain reaction that blew up dozens more chariots and fighters, the blast centered around the portal.

_ “Stark, Lyssa, Aria, you got a lot of strays sniffing your tails.” _ Clint warned from his perch, continuously firing his arrows at the Chitauri.

“We noticed!” Lyssa replied, she and Tony turning a corner.

“We’re just trying to keep them off the streets.” Tony said.

“Bad awiens!” Aria shouted.

_ “Well, they can’t bank worth a damn.” _ Clint remarked.  _ “Find a tight corner.” _ He told them.

“I will roger that.” Tony replied. He gestured to Lyssa and they both picked up speed, zooming through the streets.

They turned a corner, passing Clint’s perch seconds before two of the chariots chasing them exploded. Lyssa and Tony both shifted their positions in order to fire spells and weapons at the other chariots, taking advantage of the opportunity they had been given.

The Chitauri didn’t seem very happy with their actions and picked up speed.

“Uh oh. Bad awiens angwy.” Aria chirped with wide eyes.

“No kidding.” Tony muttered.

“Less quipping, more flying!” Lyssa shouted, flapping her wings rapidly. She flew through the arch of one of the buildings with Tony beside her, the chariot flyers chasing after them.

With some very fancy maneuvering, Lyssa and Tony were able to manipulate two of the chariots to crash into a building, avoiding the resulting explosion in the process. They flew back the way they had come, through the arch as more chariot flyers chased after them.

“Oh, boy.” Tony muttered.

“Bad awiens!” Aria shouted.

Somehow, with Lyssa facing forward, Aria managed to conjure a fireball and throw it at their pursuers. Aria’s aim was true, and the fireball hit the target, causing the lead flyer to go up in flames. The flames covering the flyer leapt from one to another and within seconds, there was a massive, fiery ball chasing after them.

Tony bit back a swear. He reached out and grabbed Lyssa’s hand, both of them pushing their flight capabilities to the limits as they flew out from beneath the arch. The flaming mass of fighters followed after them and as Tony and Lyssa arched upwards, their pursuers crashed into the building. There was a rippling explosion that took out several fighters clinging to the building’s side in the process.

“Nice call.” Tony remarked. “Though can we keep the fireballs for when we’re not somewhat indoors, kiddo?” Tony asked, looking at Aria through his visor.

“Otay.” Aria replied, looking suitably chastised. Despite being barely 3 years old, she seemed to have realized that she was a bit premature in throwing the fireball while they had been under the arch.

“But good work, kiddo.” Tony praised sincerely, not wanting the toddler to feel that she hadn’t done a good job when she certainly had.

Aria perked up. “Bad awiens go boom!” She cheered.

Lyssa laughed. “Yes, Prongslet, the bad aliens went boom.” She said.

“Barton, what else you got?” Tony asked.

_ “Thor is taking on a squadron down on Sixth.” _ Clint replied.

“Daddy!” Aria chirped happily.

“Yeah, your Daddy’s having fun and he didn’t invite us.” Tony said in mock disappointment.

Lyssa rolled her large, gazelle eyes with a laugh. “Come on.” She said, flying down the street.

Tony quickly caught up to her and just like before, the two adults and one toddler worked in tandem destroying the various fighters and chariot flyers they passed. Just as Steve had ordered, anything that got more than three blocks out was either turned back or turned to ash, the latter being the more used option. All the while, Aria was loudly shouting ‘Bad awiens!’ much Tony’s amusement.

“Aunnie Tasha!” Aria cried as the red-headed spy flew past them, on a chariot.

“What the hell?!” Tony exclaimed in shock. Despite the surprise, he didn’t waste any time in covering her back, taking care of Natasha’s pursuers, allowing the spy to focus on piloting her commandeered craft.

“Thank you!” Natasha called.

“Welcome!” Tony shouted, already several feet away. He and Lyssa focused their attention on the fighters converging on Steve, who was valiantly holding his own on the bridge.

Tony and Lyssa barreled through the fighters while Aria cast several Blasting Hexes in rapid succession. Tony landed in front of Steve, firing the miniature pulse rays at the Chitauri fighters. Lyssa landed as well, a few feet away from the men, and cast a Cascading Jinx that targeted a handful of fighters at once. At the same time, Aria used a Levitation Charm to play ‘ragdoll’ again with another pair of fighters.

“Tony, fire a pulse against the shield!” Lyssa shouted over the cacophony of noise that surrounded them. “Vibranium should amplify the blast!”

Neither Tony nor Steve responded, but they did as she suggested. Lyssa’s theory was correct, the vibranium shield amplifying the blast radius of Tony’s palm-pulse beam. Steve went a step further and guided his shield around, further increasing the range of the blast.

The result was a bridge full of dead Chitauri fighters.

Tony shot back into the air and resumed his task of maintaining a perimeter. Lyssa, and Aria, stayed with Steve, leaping off the bridge and onto the road below where they resumed the fight against the endless droves of fighters. Neither Steve nor Lyssa tried amplifying any spells with the shield, the risk of a volatile backlash too great.

Through the smoke and dust, Lyssa could see military tanks roll onto the scene, the soldiers immediately beginning to help. Some used the tanks’ weapons against the Chitauri while others climbed down from the armored vehicles and began evacuating civilians. Those out in the open were seen to first, naturally being more in danger than those that had managed to find shelter in the buildings, the soldiers getting them out of the line of fire with the police officers helping them.

On and on, the battle continued, explosions erupting regularly mingled with panicked screams from civilians. Amid it all was Aria’s periodic shout of ‘Bad awiens!’ and her delighted laughter.

“Should I just take this in stride or be worried about what it means?” Lyssa asked after Aria blew up a small group of fighters. Lyssa fired off a series of conjuration spells, creating knives and plunging them into the fighters. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad that she’s not afraid of what’s going on. But still, this much excitement over battle and carnage is not normal. At least, I don’t think it is.” She added as an afterthought.

“Definitely not normal for Earth. As far as my view goes.” Steve replied honestly, pointing out that his point of reference was at least 70 years old. He whacked a fighter with his shield and Lyssa fired a spell, the beam of light streaming over his shoulder and destroying the fighter creeping up behind him. “Thanks.” Steve said in relief. “But anyway, if her behavior is normal for the 21 st century, I don’t have a clue. And she was also raised on Asgard for the past year. Maybe it’s normal for them?” He suggested. “And don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little?” Steve asked.

Aria fired off a series of Cascading Jinxes followed by Blasting Hexes and Exploding Curses. As each spell hit the target, causing a rippling explosion effect to surround them, Aria laughed delightedly, clapping her hands at the same time. “Yay!” She exclaimed happily. “Bad awiens!”

Lyssa and Steve looked between the cheerful toddler and the explosions she wrought. “No.” Lyssa said shaking her head and turning back to Steve. “I don’t think I’m overreacting.” She said faintly.

“Then again, what do I know.” Steve backtracked numbly.

_ “Captain, Lyssa, the bank on 42 _ _ nd _ _ past Madison.” _ Clint called over the comms.  _ “They’ve cornered a lot of civilians in there.” _

“We’re on it.” Lyssa said, becoming serious. She looked at Steve. “You know where that is?” She asked.

“Yeah.” Steve replied, nodding.

Lyssa unfurled her wings and launched herself and Aria into the air. Steve leapt over an overturned motorcycle and Lyssa grabbed his hand before he could hit the ground, flying them through the streets. Steve took a second to get his bearings at the change before calling out directions. To Lyssa’s mild surprise, he was remarkably unfazed by the dizzying turns she was taking to avoid the ongoing battle around them.

They reached the bank barely two minutes later. Through the windows, they could see the crowd of civilians packed within the foyer, a group of four Chitauri fighters on the upper level, pointing their weapons down.

“Launch me through the upper window!” Steve shouted.

Rather than giving a verbal response, she did as he told her, sending him flying in through the window. Steve curled to a ball as soon as he hit the floor and rolled to a smooth stop as Lyssa flew in behind him. He gracefully uncurled himself back into a standing position, flinging his shield at the fighter holding a beeping device without pausing. The fighter dropped the device and was knocked over, but the action drew the attention of the other three.

The Chitauri fired their weapons at Steve, Lyssa and Aria, all three of them dodging the blasts. The fighters continued firing their weapons, pinning Lyssa, Steve and Aria behind an upturned desk.

“Bad awiens!” Aria shouted.

Steve kicked the upturned table towards the fighters, pushing them back. One tumbled over the front of the desk while the other two were pinned against the railing. Lyssa and Steve swiftly got their feet and attacked the pinned fighters with swift moves, quickly snapping their necks. The crowd watched with bated breath, all of them gasping when the two fighters were swiftly killed. Steve’s opponent was thrown over the railing and down into the foyer, the crowd immediately moving away from the dead creature.

“Everyone! Clear out!” Steve ordered. “Lyssa, help them!”

Lyssa nodded and vaulted over the railing, hovering above the foyer. She turned back to Steve when she heard him straining, finding him struggling against a fighter that had its arms wrapped around him from behind.

“I can’t get a clear shot!” Lyssa shouted helplessly, the Captain being inadvertently used a shield.

“Protect them!” Steve gritted out, straining against the grip on him.

Trusting him and his choice, Lyssa dropped down several feet and waved her hands. “Aria, shield.” She said softly to the silent toddler.

Aria obeyed, waving her hands in time with Lyssa’s, helping her enhance the shield further to protect the crown of civilians. “Bad awiens!” Aria growled, showing anger for the first time since the battle began.

Steve managed to flip over the fighter’s shoulder to land behind it, reversing their roles and losing his mask in the struggle. His action wasn’t a moment too soon as the remaining fighter regained its bearing and fired its weapon, catching the alien rather than the human. But before either Avenger or the toddler could express their relief, the beeping emitting from the device increased in tempo and the remaining fighter picked it up.

Lyssa and Aria poured more magic into the shield while Steve grabbed his shield and ducked behind it. Less than a second later, the remaining fighter tossed the device towards him, releasing a shockwave made of the same composition as the Chitauri weapons. The force of the wave killed the Chitauri and threw Steve out of the window, onto an idling car below, which promptly began blaring its siren.

Lyssa and Aria lowered the spell as the civilians slowly raised their heads, murmuring amongst themselves.

“Steve?” Lyssa called into her comm.

“Unnle ‘Teve!” Aria called.

“Answer me, da-!” Lyssa cut herself off, glancing down at the toddler strapped to her chest. “Mister!” Lyssa said instead.

_ “Really? That’s what you’re going with?” _ Steve asked in response, coughing slightly.

“Oh, thank the Norns you’re all right.” Lyssa breathed in relief. “And don’t judge me my Mama’s prerogative.” She added. “Wait until you have kids of your own.”

Steve snorted under his breath, picked up by the active comms.

“Bad awiens.” Aria said, scowling at the corpse in the middle of the foyer.

“Okay, Prongslet, technically, Mummy and Daddy are also aliens.” Lyssa said with a sigh.

“Mummy and Daddy good awiens.” Aria said matter-of-factly. “Ch’auri bad awiens.” She punctuated her statement with a glare at the dead Chitauri fighter.

_ “You have to admit, kiddo’s got a point.” _ Steve pointed out.

“Fair enough.” Lyssa muttered, seeing that there really was no arguing with her determined daughter.

_ “EMS and the soldiers are here.” _ Steve said.  _ “Send everyone out to be evacuated.” _

Lyssa made a sound of acknowledgement. She turned to the silent, frightened crowd. “All right, everyone. Let’s get moving.” She called, flying up so that she was high enough to see everyone. “EMS and the army are here to get you all to safety. Let’s go, calm and orderly, if you please.” She said. She gestured to the doors behind the crowd that had been opened by a firefighter.

Slowly, the crowd began moving out, herded along by the various firefighters and soldiers. Lyssa followed them out before moving away, going to Steve instead. She landed next to him, taking note of how he was panting, cuts, bruises and abrasions all over his body and the tiredness in his eyes.

“Unnle ‘Teve!” Aria cried in alarm, her large eyes taking in his injured form worriedly.

“I’m okay.” He said softly, turning to the witches.

“I’ll be the judge of that, Captain.” Lyssa said firmly.

But there was no time for her to heal him as they were surrounded by another squadron of fighters. Immediately, Aria cast a shield spell around the still-evacuating civilians while Lyssa and Steve fought the Chitauri squadron. The evacuators hurriedly ushered the civilians towards safety, the soldiers helping by providing cover in addition to Aria’s shield.

Thor joined them, heralded by Mjølnir plowing through a dozen fighters before returning to its wielder. He landed next to Lyssa, grabbing Mjølnir when it returned to him before tossing it again while Steve flung his shield. Lyssa cast a series of Cascading Jinxes in rapid succession, blowing up her targets. Aria joined in the spell casting once the last of the civilians had been evacuated from the immediate area along with the soldiers. Thor began using Mjølnir as a weapon, in a manner similar to the popular children’s game ‘whack-a-mole’ while Steve followed suit with his shield.

It continued until a weapons blast hit Steve in the stomach. He collapsed to the ground, face first, with a pained groan.

“Unnle ‘Teve!” Aria screamed. She turned her attention to the Chitauri, a fierce glare on her cherubic features. “Bad awiens!” She screamed. “Go away!” She screamed, tears streaming down her face.

Instantly, as though in response to her desire, each of the fighters that surrounded them exploded. Not only in the immediate area, but every Chitauri fighter in a one-mile radius exploded. Lyssa quickly put up a shield as protection against the shower of metal and flesh as Steve slowly pushed himself up to his knees. Thor held his hand out to the Captain, and he took it gratefully, pulling himself up to his feet.

“Good girl.” Steve gasped, covering his wound with his gloved hand.

“Unnle ‘Teve.” Aria sobbed, holding her arms out to him.

Steve crouched, wincing but managing to bite back a pained hiss. He hugged the toddler tightly for a moment before pulling back. “I can’t carry you right now, little one.” He said regretfully, seeing her keep her arms out to him the classic gesture. “I’m sorry.”

“Mummy heal.” Aria said, looking up at Lyssa.

Lyssa, who had already begun examining the wound, nodded. She straightened up and turned to Thor, loosening the sling’s straps. “Thor, take Aria and cover me. This is going to take a few moments.”

Thor nodded and lifted Aria, and her blanket, from the sling. He perched her on his hip, shifting slightly so that his large frame concealed Lyssa from view.

Lyssa waved her hand over Steve’s injury, her palm glowing silvery gold as the wound healed and his suit was repaired. Not pausing, she waved her hand over the rest of his wounds, healing him completely.

They didn’t have time to enjoy the reprieve as more fighters slowly converged on them. However, they were almost cautious, inching forwards rather than approaching in droves as they previously had.

_ “I can close it.” _ Natasha called over the comms.  _ “Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down.” _

“Do it!” Steve ordered.

_ “No, wait.” _ Tony countered.

“Tony, these things are still coming even with Aria’s little explosion.” Lyssa said.

_ “I got a nuke coming in.”  _ Tony revealed.  _ “It’s gonna blow in less than a minute.” _

_ “Did he say ‘nuke’?”  _ Clint asked in alarm.

“What is a ‘nuke’?” Thor asked.

“Please tell me ‘nuke’ doesn’t mean ‘nuclear device’!” Steve shrieked with wide eyes. Thor’s own eyes also widened in alarm.

“Sorry, that’s exactly what it means.” Lyssa said apologetically.

“What fool would order such a tactic?” Thor asked. “Especially as innocent lives still reside within the city?”

_ “Most likely the Council.”  _ Tony replied dryly.  _ “And I know just where to put this thing.” _

“Council?” Thor repeated in confusion. Steve looked similarly confused. Both men looked at Lyssa.

“World Security Council.” Lyssa replied. “That we are not supposed to know about, by the way.”

Steve and Thor both nodded in understanding. “Wait, Stark, you know that’s a one-way trip.” Steve pointed out, his eyes wide in realization at what the billionaire was about to do.

“He’s right. I can’t apparate through the portal.” Lyssa added, her features pinched with worry.

Tony didn’t respond. Lyssa, Thor and Steve exchanged looks, concern filling each of them.

“Unnle Tony?” Aria asked quietly, one hand gripping her blanket and the other curled around Thor’s neck.

None of the adults responded, Thor only rubbing her back. They all looked up as Tony flew past them, the nuke on his back. They waited, tense as the Chitauri fighters continued inching towards them. Lyssa cast a Protego around herself, Thor, Aria and Steve, giving them a bit of a reprieve.

Suddenly, the Chitauri fighters powered down, collapsing where they had stood. All around them, fighters, chariots and Leviathan’s powered down and collapsed, either to the ground or onto buildings.

“Yook!” Aria cried, pointing up at the sky.

Lyssa, Thor and Steve followed her finger and saw the fire of an explosion occur on the other side of the portal.

“But where is Tony?” Lyssa asked in concern.

Thor and Steve exchanged looks, both aware of what needed to be done. “Close it.” Steve ordered softly.

Lyssa looked at him in alarm, her argument dying on her tongue at seeing his pained expression. She realized with a start that for all his earlier comments about Tony, the billionaire was still the son of his best friend, one of the only links he had to the past.

“Unnle Tony?” Aria asked.

No one responded. Instead, the three adults looked up at the slowly closing portal. Aria whimpered, realizing the reason behind the silence though her young mind couldn’t comprehend it. Seconds before it closed completely, Tony fell through it.

“Son of a gun.” Steve breathed in amazement.

Lyssa let out a laugh, not bothering to reprimand him.

“He’s not slowing down.” Thor said worriedly.

“I got him.” Lyssa said, spreading her wings.

Just as she was about to launch herself into the sky, Hulk climbed up the side of the building closest to the falling billionaire. He reached out and caught Tony before making his way back down, crashing into the ground, protectively curled around Tony’s limp form. Hulk gently set Tony down on the debris and Chitauri-remnant covered ground as Lyssa, Thor, with Aria on his hip, and Steve ran up to him.

“Is he breathing?” Steve asked frantically.

Thor reached down and tore off Tony’s visor, revealing the billionaire’s aristocratic features. Tony’s eyes were closed, and his face was almost peaceful. Lyssa conjured a dagger and held it beneath Tony’s nose, checking to see if there was any breath.

“Nothing.” She said, shaking her head. She tossed the dagger aside and probed at Tony’s armor, trying to find a way to check his pulse. “I can’t get through the armor to check his pulse.” She said frustrated.

“Try healing him anyway.” Thor suggested. “You need not be certain in order to do it.”

Lyssa nodded and held both hands over Tony’s face, the only part of him that was exposed. Her palms glowed the soft silvery gold color and the light shone down on the unconscious man.

It lasted for several tense seconds, the only sounds being Aria’s quiet whimpers and Hulk’s soft rumbling.

Then, Tony woke with a gasped scream. “What the hell?” He gasped. Lyssa sat back on her hunches with a sigh of relief. “What just happened?” Tony asked. There was none of the aches and pains that he had amassed over the course of the battle. He glanced at Lyssa and assumed that she healed him, based on how she had been kneeling over him. “Please tell me nobody kissed me.” His eyes fell on Aria in Thor’s arms. “On second thought, I want a kiss from one of the two most beautiful women in the world.”

Aria smiled at him, wriggling in Thor’s grasp. “Down, Daddy.” She said. The Thunderer obliged her request, setting her down in front of him. Aria went to Tony, crouching beside his head and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “I lovey.” She said with a sweet smile.

Tony smiled back. “You know what, Kiddo? I love you, too.” He said with complete sincerity.

Hulk roared, expressing his relief in his own way. At the same time, it was also an expression of the love he himself felt for the tiny toddler, the one person who didn’t fear him while even her parents, God and Goddess that they were, did so.

Aria looked up at him and grinned brightly, a delighted laugh escaping her lips. She went to him, being careful when walking around Tony’s head, and held her arms out to the green giant. It was clear what she wanted.

Hulk looked at her before looking between Lyssa and Thor, who were helping Tony sit up. The couple nodded in response to the silent question, both sporting small smiles. Hulk picked Aria up, perching her in the crook of his massive elbow, and roared again. Aria roared with him for a moment before descending into a fit of giggles, the sound drawing chuckles from the others.

“We won.” Steve breathed in realization, the fact finally hitting him.

“By the Norns.” Lyssa said in amazement.

Tony sighed in relief at the confirmation; he had suspected because of the way everyone was focused on him and the distinct lack of weapons fire, but he hadn’t been certain. “All right, yay!” Tony said, taking a page out of Aria’s book. “Hurray. Good job, guys. Let’s just not come in tomorrow. Let’s just take a day.” He suggested as Thor carefully let him go. Tony swayed for a second before regaining his footing, Thor remaining ready to catch him if he stumbled. “Your healing ability aside, which is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but I think we could all use a day of serious pampering after this.” Tony said, looking at Lyssa.

“I’m in complete agreement.” The redheaded Goddess replied, nodding.

“Hey, have you tried shawarma?” Tony asked randomly. “There’s a shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don’t know what it is, but I want to try it.”

“I’ve had shawarma.” Lyssa revealed. “It’s a Middle-Eastern dish and it’s absolutely delicious.”

“I’m up for trying it.” Steve said.

“Awia and Unnle Huwk too!” Aria chirped. She had moved from her perch on Hulk’s arm to his massive hand, happily sitting in the flat palm. She was holding a corner of her blanket with one hand while her other was curled around Hulk’s thick thumb.

“We’re not finished yet.” Thor reminded all of them gently.

“And then shawarma after.” Tony said.

“And then shawarma after.” Thor agreed.

~*~

The Avengers and Aria gathered together in the common area of the penthouse of Stark Tower. They watched as Loki pulled himself out of the decent sized hole Hulk had left him in, created in the middle of the room. Tony stood on one end with Steve beside him, Hulk behind them, Aria perched on one massive, green shoulder. Clint was in the center with Lyssa next to him, both directly in front of the defeated Trickster. Thor was standing beside her with Natasha on his other side, holding the scepter tightly.

Loki groaned and winced in pain, stiffly turning around when he heard the distinct hiss of an arrow being notched and the string drawn back. It was Clint, his arrow aimed directly at his heart.

“If it’s all the same to you.” Loki said, looking at Tony with green eyes. Loki let out a pained breath. “I’ll have that drink now.”

Hulk growled. Aria patted his shoulder calmly as Loki flinched back instinctively at the sound. He vividly remembered his encounter with the green giant.

“All right, get him on his feet.” Tony said. “We can all stand around posing up a storm later.” He began walking towards the bar. Erik entered through the veranda doors, seeing that it was safe once more and made his way over to Lyssa. “By the way, feel free to clean up.” Tony called over his shoulder. “Lyssa, any magic that can help speed things up?” He asked curiously.

“Yeah, but I’m not casting magic with all of this technology.” She replied firmly, pulling back from the hug she had given Erik. “Magic and Earth technology, bad mix.” Lyssa remarked with a wince.

Thor, who had put Loki in restraints and made him stand against the bar, winced in memory. Loki had a similar reaction, both princes vividly remembering some of the more volatile reactions that occurred when magic and Midgardian technology were combined. It was different from Asgard, where science and magic were one and the same; they were two very different elements on Earth.

“Who gets the, uh, magic glow stick?” Natasha asked, holding up the scepter she had in her hands.

“Gyandpa!” Aria cheered delightedly, reaching out to Erik from her perch on Hulk’s shoulder. Hulk quickly set her on the ground before she could fall. Aria wasted no time running to Erik, being swept up into a tight hug.

“STRIKE team’s coming to secure it.” Tony replied.

As though on cue, the elevator beeped and a group of men, led by Brock Rumlow, exited with SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell.

“We can take that off your hands.” Sitwell said, walking up to Natasha.

“By all means.” Natasha replied. She carefully handed the scepter to Sitwell before joining Clint at the bar. “Careful with that thing.” She called over her shoulder

“Unless you want your mind erased.” Clint added.

“Not fun.” Aria chirped, happily playing with her blanket. After her enthusiastic reunion with Erik, she had returned to Hulk, who settled her on his open palm once more. She also had a stuffed stag that she had conjured, similar to the one that Odin had given her the previous year on Asgard.

“We promise to be careful.” Rumlow said, opening up a briefcase on the table. Sitwell carefully set the scepter inside, being watched closely by Hulk.

“Uh, guys, where did that door come from?” Tony asked, drawing everyone’s attention. “’Cos it wasn’t there when this place was being built.”

The door was simple, made of dark brown wood, though intricately carved with beautiful designs. It was in the wall as though it always had been, despite it very much not being so.

“It wasn’t there five minutes ago.” Natasha said, she and Clint becoming alert and on guard.

“It’s okay, you guys.” Lyssa said reassuringly. “It’s the door to Magic School.”

“But why would-?” Thor began only to cut himself off. He turned and looked at Aria pointedly, his actions mirrored by Lyssa.

“I ‘idn’t do it.” Aria said with a completely innocent expression.

“Did you use magic after the battle ended?” Lyssa asked her, already knowing the answer.

“Yeth.” Aria replied sheepishly.

“So you  _ did _ cause the door to appear.” Lyssa told her.

“Is it safe to come through?” An American accented voice called through the door.

“Yeah!” Lyssa called back.

The door opened and a man, around 6’ tall with dark blonde hair, green eyes and a Caucasian skin tone stepped through. He was dressed in a simple, white button-down shirt, black trousers and shoes with a black robe overtop. He looked around at the room’s assembled occupants, not at all fazed at the sight of Hulk holding a grinning toddler in his hand or the two armored Asgardian princes. His eyes landed on Lyssa and a brilliant smile crossed his face.

“Lyssa, it’s good to see you again.” The man said, though he didn’t make any move towards her.

“It’s good to see you, too, Leo.” Lyssa replied with a grin. She crossed the distance between them and hugged him tightly. They pulled apart after a moment and Lyssa stepped back. “What’s up?” She asked curiously.

“I received an alert of magic being performed in this area, magic of an untrained child.” Leo explained.

“That would be Thor and my daughter, Aria.” Lyssa replied, gesturing to the grinning toddler.

Leo looked at Aria, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Lyssa noticed the reaction but assumed that he had recognized Aria as the Girl Who Lived. The redheaded Goddess didn’t point it out, opting to wait and see if Leo mentioned it.

“Uh, hi, hello.” Tony interrupted before anything else could be said. He looked at Lyssa. “How do you know him?” Not waiting for a response, Tony turned to Leo. “How did you make a freaking  _ door _ appear in the middle of the wall?” Tony asked.

“We met 3 years ago in San Francisco. His family saved my life from demons.” Lyssa replied.

“Demons?” Rumlow repeated incredulously. “You expect us to believe  _ demons _ are real?”

“Why not? We just fought an army from outer space.” Steve pointed out dryly.

“The way I remember it is that Piper and her sisters were about to save you, but you were able to save yourself.” Leo said.

Lyssa shrugged. “To-may-to, to-mah-to.” She said unconcernedly.

“How does SHIELD not know about any of this?” Sitwell asked with a frown.

Thor, Lyssa, Leo and Loki exchanged looks. “Magic.” They said in unison.

“Right. Of course.” Sitwell said sarcastically.

Lyssa frowned and looked at Leo. “Actually, Tony has a point.” She said thoughtfully. “How were you able to create the door? You’re mortal now.” She said.

During her stay in San Francisco, Lyssa had gotten to know the Halliwell family quite well. She even occasionally helped them in their fight against demons, whether it was by looking after the boys, Wyatt and Chris, or actually fighting. Lyssa had formed a connection with the different family members in various ways, forging a deep and lasting friendship. It led to Lyssa trusting the Halliwells with her secrets and vice versa; Phoebe had even helped Lyssa make the decision to stay in America after the redhead had gotten a vision of Lily and James’ death. Lyssa had contacted Sirius and James, warning them of what she had seen.

Knowing what she now knew about her visions, she was able to realize that there was nothing she could have done to prevent it. It didn't make the deaths any easier to bear, but it did help ease the guilt she felt.

“The Elders realized that I had only fallen from grace because the test they had given had been rigged.” Leo replied. “It had been done to steer me towards them rather than my family, or even letting my paths lead me to where I was meant to be. They didn’t make me retake the test but gave me my powers and status as a Whitelighter back.”

“So you’re dead again?” Thor asked curiously. He had met Whitelighters a few times over the centuries, along with many other magical beings.

Leo laughed. “No. I have all my powers and my wings just as before, except that I’m still mortal.” He explained. “My only charges are my family, allowing me to be a father and a husband. At the same time, I’m the headmaster of Magic School.”

“Which leads us back to why you are here.” Clint stated.

“Exactly.” Leo replied, nodding. He turned to Lyssa and Thor. “There is a place for Aria at my school.” He glanced at Aria who had fallen asleep and was curled in the crook of Hulk’s arm, the events of the day combined with the amount of magic used catching up with her. “I know that she may follow in your footsteps Lyssa, and go to Hogwarts when she turns 11, but I feel that I should inform you that she has a place at Magic School.”

Lyssa and Thor exchanged looks. They turned back to Leo. “It sounds great. But we’re going back to Asgard shortly.” Lyssa revealed.

“We stay only long enough to see to some affairs before we depart.” Thor added. Lyssa wanted to stop by Hogwarts to catch up with Remus, give him a chance to spend some time with his honorary niece. At the same time, she intended to catch up with Albus on the progress of Sirius’ case.

“Fair enough.” Leo said, graciously accepting the rejection.

“Wait, if the door can open here, can’t it open in Asgard?” Tony asked.

“No.” Leo replied, turning to him. “The door can appear anywhere on Earth only.” He sighed and turned back to Lyssa. “Well, it was good seeing you again.” He said sincerely.

“You, too, Leo.” Lyssa replied, hugging him again. They pulled apart and separated. “Give my love to the others.” Lyssa requested.

“I will.” Leo promised. He turned and walked back through the door and once it closed behind him, it disappeared just as silently as it had appeared.

“That was cool.” Tony said, looking impressed.

Lyssa rolled her eyes and turned to Hulk. “Do you want me to take Aria, or do you want her to stay with you?” She asked, looking up at the green giant.

“Little Goddess stay.” Hulk replied.

“Okay.” Lyssa agreed, nodding. “Only for now.” She said firmly.

“Stay now.” Hulk repeated.

“On my way down to coordinate search and rescue.” Steve said briskly, becoming serious. He walked past Loki and headed towards the elevators, one hand held up to his ear comm. Natasha and Clint followed him while Rumlow and Sitwell rejoined the rest of STRIKE and entered the second elevator.

Loki’s form shimmered and he took on Steve’s image. “On my way down to coordinate search and rescue.” The Trickster mimicked the Captain, complete with the accent. Loki’s body glowed and the illusion dropped, revealing himself once again. “I mean, honestly, how do you keep your food down?” Loki asked.

Thor sighed exasperatedly. Lyssa tossed him a small device that he slapped against Loki’s mouth. “Shut up.” Thor growled, the device forming a collar preventing Loki from speaking any further.

Lyssa and Thor each grabbed one of Loki’s arms and marched him towards the remaining elevator, met by a group of armed SHIELD agents. Hulk followed behind them; Aria was fast asleep in the crook of his arm as he gently covered her with her blanket using his free hand. Tony secured the Cube in its own case and closed the lid, following them towards the elevator.


	8. Epilogue: The Parting

**Epilogue: The Parting**

_May 5_ _, 2012_

The mid-morning sun shone brightly down on the Avengers and Erik as they walked through Central Park. Lyssa and Thor kept firm holds on Loki’s elbows, preventing any possibility of escape, they weren’t taking any chances even with him so heavily chained. While Thor and Loki were in their Asgardian armor, the rest of the team, Erik and Aria were in civilian clothes.

Aria was dressed in a light sea green dress with matching flats on her feet. Her hair was pinned back away from her face with two, small shell-shaped combs while the rest tumbled freely around her shoulders and on her head was a silver tiara decorated with white and light sea green gems*. Just like the accessories she had worn the previous day, they were made with artificial materials and kept in place with well-cast Sticking Charms.

Lyssa was wearing a blue-grey spaghetti-strapped dress that brushed the floor with every step she took. The drape pinned to the back of her straps resembled lowered butterfly wings in a blend of blue, white and black. The only jewelry she wore was a matching choker around her neck and a silver belt on her hips*. The front sections of her hair were braided back in a crown while the rest was left loose down her back*. On her feet were a pair of matching blue-grey, high-heeled sandals*

Tony was wearing a light grey bespoke suit with a light blue button-down shirt and a darker blue tie. His hair was carefully styled into a spiky disarray and he had a pair of sleek, black shades over his eyes. On his feet were a pair of black dress shoes. He looked every bit the billionaire that he was.

Bruce was in a pale-yellow button-down shirt with tan trousers. His hair looked as though he had only spared enough thought to run a brush through after waking up before promptly forgetting about it. In all actuality, his hair had been neatly combed before Aria made a mess of it while playing with him that morning. He wore a pair of comfortable running shoes on his feet, opting for comfort over style when given access to Tony’s vast selection of clothes.

Erik was dressed in a royal blue button-down shirt with a darker blue sweater over it and dark grey trousers. Much like Bruce, his previously neat and tidy hair had been promptly wrecked thanks to Aria and he wisely didn’t bother trying to fix it while the toddler was present. He had advised Bruce of the same, informing the younger man of Aria’s habit of playing with people’s hair, no matter the length. Tying off his outfit were a pair of dark brown boots.

Steve was dressed in a light grey and blue plaid button-down shirt and tan trousers. Over his shirt was a brown leather motorcycle jacket and on his feet were dark brown boots. His hair was in a neat comb-back, a habit learned from his time with the military as well as a remnant of the time period he had grown up in.

Natasha was wearing a red tank top underneath a fitted dark grey blouse and dark grey, dark-wash skinny jeans. Over her blouse, she had a light brown leather jacket and on her feet were a pair of high-heeled black ankle boots. Her brilliant red hair was open and brushing her shoulders in loose curls.

Clint was wearing a light red t-shirt and black jeans. Over his shirt he wore a smokey-grey hoodie with a black leather jacket on top of it. On his feet were a pair of dark grey boots. His short hair was styled in gelled spikes, a by-product of Aria’s predictable actions that morning.

With them were a team of SHIELD agents serving as protection, walking at a short distance and keeping an eye on their surroundings, all dressed in their trademark black suits with blacked out sunglasses. However, there was one agent who wasn’t there as protection, but walking among the Avengers as though he were one of them, and he most certainly was. Phil Coulson. The man chosen by the Avengers to be their handler after learning, and being shown, that he was alive. Fury explained to the stunned group that while he hadn’t been entirely sure of Lyssa's vision, he had taken it seriously. He had been a spy long enough to know that having a warning fall into their hands the way it had was rare and he’d be an idiot to not follow through with it. To that end, he and Phil decided to implement a prototype program known as Life-Model Decoys to replace Phil while the real one was secretly evacuated away to a SHIELD safe house. Only Fury had been aware that Phil was alive, everyone else being led to believe that he had died.

Lyssa and Thor were the first to accept the explanation and the reasoning behind no one being told the truth. As Thor had warned Fury, Lyssa’s visions always came true, one way or another. If Fury had revealed the truth before Loki was stopped, then events would fall into place leading to Phil being stabbed. But with Loki stopped, the danger had passed. The vision still came true, just not with the Phil they had previously been led to believe.

The rest of the team, Natasha and Clint in particular with Tony coming in at a close second, took a little longer to accept it. They were greatly relieved that Phil was alive, but they were still haunted by the time they had believed him to be dead. None of them were upset that Lyssa hadn’t told them of the vision; in all honesty, they probably wouldn’t have believed it and when it came to pass, they may have blamed her for it in their grief.

It had been Steve, and Bruce, who had bridged the gap that had begun to form. Though it had only been a day, they had helped Natasha, Clint and Tony accept that what Fury had done was the best option he had with what little information he had, not to mention the time constraint. It wasn’t remotely the best idea, making the team think that Phil was dead, but it had been that event in particular that brought them together. It hadn’t been the battle or Loki, but the news of Phil’s death.

Though Clint, Natasha and Tony were still upset, they slowly began to accept that it had really been the only option Fury had. It helped that the man apologized, even if he had been prompted to do so by Aria.

Once the matter had been resolved and Fury left, Tony not allowing Phil to leave until he had run a full battery of tests on the not-so-dead man, Lyssa and Thor took Aria to England. Just as Lyssa had wanted to do, she met up with Remus at Hogwarts where he worked as the school’s guidance counselor/ tutor, giving him a chance to spend time with his pseudo-niece and give Thor the third degree on principal. At the same time, she caught up with Albus and Minerva, as well as several of her old professors and Hagrid. She filled them all in on the events of the past year, being a Light Elf and a reincarnated Goddess. While the Avengers and Phil had reacted to the reasoning behind the curse with disbelief and shock, the witches and wizards at Hogwarts weren’t all that surprised.

Hell may hath no fury like a woman scorned, but add a magical being, regardless of gender, to the mix, and Hell would suddenly seem like a tropical vacation spot. The only thing more frightening is a pissed off redhead, or so Thor had stated.

“What if the pissed off magical being _is_ a redhead?” Remus asked after Thor made his comment.

“You may wish to consider moving to a remote area, growing a beard and consigning yourself to a lifetime of bad beer and goat jokes.” Thor replied seriously. “For however long your life may be.”

Remus, who had witnessed not only Lily Potter, nee Evans’, temper but Lyssa’s as well, was inclined to agree.

After spending several hours in England, and learning of the progress in Sirius’ case, of which there wasn’t any, Lyssa and Thor returned to the US with Aria. As soon as they returned to Stark Tower, they were promptly roped into Tony’s plan of having shawarma along with the rest of the team and Phil.

Lyssa was drawn back to the present by Aria’s delighted shrieks of laughter. The sound was intermingled with Clint and Steve’s deep laughter. Lyssa turned to them, finding the two men chasing Aria while keeping her from wandering too far from the group.

Erik removed a cylindrical container from the back of the SHIELD transport van. He carried it to where Tony and Bruce were crouched in front of the Tesseract’s open transport case. Bruce carefully lifted the glowing Cube with a pair of fire-tongs and placed it within the container before closing it. He joined Natasha in guarding Loki while Erik walked up to Thor and held the container out to him.

Thor grasped it by the handle and supported it with his other arm. He smiled gratefully at the elderly mortal man who had shown him much wisdom, kindness and love in the short time they had known each other. Erik smiled back and hugged him tightly, being mindful of the container. Thor returned the hug as much as he could with his preoccupied hands before they pulled apart.

“Thank you, my friend.” Thor said softly.

“Be safe, dear boy.” Erik said quietly. He cupped Thor’s cheek for a moment before letting go. He turned to Lyssa, pulling her into a tight hug.

Thor turned his attention to Aria, giving Lyssa and Erik a moment. “Aria, ‘tis time to go.” Thor said gently, his voice just loud enough for the shrieking toddler to hear.

Aria, along with Clint and Steve, turned to the blond God. Aria pouted up at him, but Thor remained firm, showing the toddler that it wasn’t the time for her antics. Aria sighed and let Steve and Clint lead her around to Phil, Tony, Natasha and Bruce to say her goodbyes.

Lyssa and Erik pulled apart. He pressed a loving kiss to Lyssa’s forehead. “Be safe.” Erik told her softly, repeating what he had told Thor. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Erik.” Lyssa said just as softly. “Tell-”

“I will.” Erik promised. He turned to Aria and crouched in front of her, holding his arms out. “Can Grandpa get a hug?” He asked her.

“Yeth!” She replied with a bright grin, launching herself at him.

Erik caught her with a laugh, wrapping his arms around her and rising to his feet in one swift move. He pulled back after several seconds, keeping his arms around her. “Now, you be a good girl for Mummy and Daddy, ‘kay?” Erik told her.

“’Kay.” Aria chirped, nodding.

“Good girl. Now give me another hug.” Erik said. Aria happily obliged, hugging him as tightly as she could. “I love you, so much.” Erik said as they pulled apart.

“I lovey.” Aria replied, pecking his lips lightly.

Erik smiled and set her on the ground. Aria ran back to Lyssa who picked her up, perching her on her hip. Erik went to the SHIELD van and removed a medium-sized suitcase from the back, taking it to Lyssa and handing it to her. “I’ve kept this safe for the past year.” He told her as she took hold of the handle. “It has never been opened, not even when we were packing your things in New Mexico.” He reassured her. “I figured this was something you would like to take back with you rather than your clothes.”

“Thank you, Erik.” Lyssa said gratefully. Internally, she was relieved that there wasn’t a magical mess that needed cleaning up. From the very beginning, she had been adamant that no one go through her suitcase. It was an enchanted item that was enlarged from within and contained all of her magical possessions. With her having possession of the suitcase once more, she could finally continue practicing the magic she had learned at Hogwarts; she had mostly done so by memory over the past year, particularly potion-making, but one too many explosions had led to Frigga gently advising her to stop for the time being.

Lyssa waved her hand over the suitcase and it shrunk down to the size of a lipstick tube. She picked it up before walking over to where Thor stood with Loki, one arm curled around Aria. Lyssa slipped the shrunken suitcase into Thor’s pocket before reaching out and grabbing the container’s handle.

“Aria, you must hold as well, little one.” Thor said.

Aria nodded and reached out, grabbing the handle with her tiny hand. Thor covered both witches’ hands with his own larger one before holding the container out to Loki. The Trickster glared at the elder prince through green eyes but grasped the offered handle tightly.

With a final smile at the assembled group from Lyssa, a cheery wave from Aria and a nod from Thor, the blond prince twisted the handle. They were engulfed in bright blue light before being beamed upwards. Within seconds, the column of light disappeared and so did Thor, Lyssa, Aria and Loki.

_Links:_

_*Aria dress/ shoes/ accessories/ hair -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/103582860155217751_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/103582860155217751)

_*Lyssa dress -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879486666408/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879486666408/)

 _*Lyssa hairstyle -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879482681620/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879482681620/)

 _*Lyssa shoes (blue grey) -_ [ _https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879486281077/_](https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/474566879486281077/)


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